Disagreements on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are still unresolved. Egypt feels vulnerable, Sudan gets a tougher approach, Ethiopia rejects colonial-era treaties. And the reservoir are soon going to be filled for the 2nd year without an agreement.
Talks between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia fail
The talks organized by the African Union between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam were unsuccessful. As the project comes closer to being finalized, tension grows.
Egypt and Sudan are asking for international mediation, which Ethiopia refuses. Sudan wants the USA, the UN and the EU to participate as mediators instead of observers while Ethiopia wants the African Union to keep leading the talks entirely.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project started in 2011 and has created tensions between countries since then. It will be the biggest dam in Africa. It could provide power to 60% of the population in 2022, while Ethiopia just received bids for privatizing of its telecom industry in the first step of the liberalization of its economy.
The countries had found agreements in the past but the water flow downstream of the dam is the sticking point, and remains unresolved.
The quantity of water amid Egyptian concerns
Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said “Egypt will not give up a single drop of its share of the Nile water.” The Nile is in fact critical for Egypt, which relies on it for its agriculture and commerce. The dam makes Egypt vulnerable to Ethiopia which would have the power to regulate the flow.
The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Dina Mufti, rejected the historical agreements on shares of the Nile waters made in 1959 and 1929.
In 1959, Egypt and Sudan secured a minimum quantity of water they should receive from the Nile, without referring to the nine other countries where the Nile flows. And in 1929, Great Britain, which represented Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan at the time, had given Egypt the right to veto any project on the Nile’s upstream waters which could impact its share. In 2010, the upper riparian states found an agreement, which Egypt and Sudan didn’t sign. Egypt prefers the treaties already signed.
Sudan first welcomed the project as it could regulate floods affecting the country or even allow for a third farming season. The country also saw an opportunity to get a more stable source of electricity. However, the military’s increased influence in Sudan, its proximity with Egypt and border claims with Ethiopia make diplomatic talks more tense.
Ethiopia also wants to have some flexibility in dealing with the flow in case of drought, suggesting it could be used for agricultural purposes rather than as a source of electricity.
With the rainy season coming up soon, the reservoirs behind the dam will start to fill up for the 2nd year without an agreement. This time, the quantity of water will be three times what the reservoir contained the year before.
Media sources and useful links:
- Gerd: Sudan talks tough with Ethiopia over River Nile dam, BBC, April 2021, Free access
- Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia talks over Nile dam fail, Al Jazeera, April 2021, Free access
