Ethiopia announced on Saturday that it had completed the fourth and final filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) on the Blue Nile river, a megaproject that has been in dispute with Egypt and Sudan since 2011. The announcement came as a surprise to the downstream countries, which have been seeking a legally binding agreement on the dam’s operation and filling through the African Union-mediated talks.
Egypt, which relies on the Nile for nearly all its water needs, expressed anger and accused Ethiopia of violating a declaration of principles signed by the three countries in 2015. Egypt also said Ethiopia was disregarding the interests and rights of the downstream countries and their water security.
“Egypt categorically rejects this unilateral measure which is a clear violation of international law and norms governing inter-state relations as well as the Declaration of Principles signed by Ethiopia itself,” said Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s foreign minister, in a statement.
Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, also warned that “Egypt will not stand idly by in the face of any moves that pose a direct threat to Egyptian national security and water security.”
Ethiopia, however, defended its decision to fill the dam, saying it had notified Egypt and Sudan of the filling in accordance with the 2015 agreement. Ethiopia also said the $4.2bn dam would not cut their share of Nile water and would double the country’s electricity output.
“Ethiopia is keen to see to it that the negotiation is concluded in a win-win manner. We are not going to hurt anyone. We are not going to compromise on our sovereignty either,” said Seleshi Bekele, Ethiopia’s water minister, in a televised address.
Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, also hailed the completion of the filling as a historic achievement. “The completion of filling without harming anyone is a manifestation of our commitment to African solutions to African problems,” he said on Twitter.
The Gerd, which is expected to be fully operational by 2023, is Africa’s largest hydroelectric project and has been hailed by Ethiopia as a symbol of national pride and development. The dam has a capacity of 74 billion cubic meters and can generate up to 6,000 megawatts of electricity.
However, the project has also raised fears of water shortages and environmental damage among the downstream countries, especially Egypt, which depends on the Nile for more than 90% of its freshwater. Egypt has repeatedly called for a binding agreement that would guarantee its annual share of 55.5 billion cubic meters of Nile water and prevent any unilateral actions by Ethiopia.
The African Union has been mediating talks between the three countries to reach such an agreement, but no breakthrough has been achieved so far. The last round of negotiations ended in April without any progress.
The United Nations Security Council has also urged the three countries to resume negotiations and avoid any unilateral action that could heighten tensions or jeopardise a peaceful resolution.
“We urge Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to work together to intensify efforts to peacefully resolve outstanding differences,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the UN, in July.
Relevant articles:
– Egypt angry as Ethiopia fills Nile dam reservoir amid water row, BBC News, 11 September 2023
– Egypt condemns Ethiopia’s filling of Nile Grand Renaissance Dam as illegal, The Star, 11 September 2023
– Filling of Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile complete, Ethiopia says, Al Jazeera, 11 September 2023
– Egypt accuses Ethiopia of violating law over controversial dam, BBC News, 6 July 2021