Egypt`s foreign minister repeated some of these points, pointing out that more than 100 million Egyptians face an existential threat from a dam of gigantic proportions being built along the artery that gives them life. Noting that Ethiopia had unilaterally begun to fill the dam – essentially declaring ownership of the Nile – he said Egypt`s response was a restrained response in the interest of all parties. He condemned Ethiopia`s actions as a violation of international law and as an attempt to turn a border river into an instrument of political control. The failure of the negotiations and the lack of a viable solution forced Cairo to call on the Council to intervene in a situation that could jeopardize the maintenance of international peace and security, he said, calling on members to demand the adoption of the Tunisian draft resolution, which aims for a just agreement within a set time frame. PARFAIT ONANGA-ANYANGA, the Secretary-General`s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, said the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam embodies the conflicting narratives, hopes and fears, challenges and opportunities associated with water consumption, security and energy in Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan and the Horn of Africa. Recalling his last briefing on the issue in June 2020, he said that since then, the three countries have not been able to agree on a commitment framework to resolve several remaining contentious issues. These include a dispute settlement mechanism and an agreement on drought reduction, in particular on the filling and operation of the dam during drought years. Although Egypt has consistently argued that the 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan is the legal framework for the allocation of Nile waters, Ethiopia and other upstream riparian states reject this argument. The 1959 agreement allocated all water from the Nile to Egypt and Sudan, leaving 10 billion cubic meters (b.c.m.) for infiltration and evaporation, but not providing water to Ethiopia or other offshore riparian states – the sources of most of the water that flows into the Nile. Perhaps even more consequential is the fact that this agreement gave Egypt a veto over future Nile projects. Moreover, the resolution of Nile-related conflicts is more likely to be more effective through improved relations between neighbouring countries and not through external intervention. In this context, Egypt should minimize travel to Washington, D.C., New York and Brussels, and instead use its diplomatic resources to improve its relations with other riparian states. Already on 19 June 2020, the Egyptian authorities called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to intervene after the tripartite talks failed to reach an agreement on the timetable for filling the GERD.
Egypt had asked the UN Security Council to “urge the three countries to comply with their obligations in accordance with the rules of international law in order to reach a just and balanced solution to the GERD issue.” Egypt`s repeated references to the rules of international law are part of efforts to enforce its so-called “natural and historical rights” established and reaffirmed by the 1929 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty and the 1959 Agreement between Egypt and Sudan – treaties that many other parties involved reject as anachronistic and untenable. The representative of Niger said that, as a landlocked country with africa`s third longest river, the Niger, his country believed that transboundary water management was essential for the peaceful coexistence of countries that shared an important natural resource. States have established the Niger Basin Authority, the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Mano River Union because water must be a source of cooperation and shared prosperity, not a source of conflict or discord among riparian States. Although the escalation of tensions around the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is worrying, the project is expected to have a successful outcome as it involves three sister countries united by history and geography. A few days ago, the situation between the three countries was tense due to an impasse in the negotiations. Today`s Council deliberations will take place in a different atmosphere, following the promising initiative of the African Union to convene a videoconference with the heads of State or Government of Egypt, Ethiopia and the Sudan. Recalling some of the findings, he said that more than 90 percent of the issues had already been resolved and that the three countries were determined to discuss the remaining differences within the framework of the African Union. The tripartite negotiating mechanism will present a report to the current Chairperson of the African Union in the coming days, who may convene a meeting in early July to decide on the outcome of the negotiations. The Nile was a mysterious god: sometimes charitable, sometimes vindictive. Flooding between June and September, months of peak currents, could wipe out entire villages and drown thousands of people.
The floods also brought with them the brown silt that fed the delta, one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, feeding not only Egypt, but also many of its neighbors. Similarly, the final agreement between riparian States on the allocation of water and resources from the Nile should include a dispute settlement mechanism. The dispute settlement committee could be composed of the Nile Council of Ministers (Nil-COM), which includes ministers responsible for water affairs in all Nile Basin member states. The Nile GMO is the highest political and decision-making body of the NBI. The decisions taken by this group must be binding on all riparian States. Third, Egypt should abandon the continuing references to its so-called natural historical rights (i.e. the water rights granted to Egypt by the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1929 and the 1959 Agreement between Egypt and Sudan). If the Egyptian authorities refuse to abandon these anachronistic treaties that have created unsustainable water rights that only benefit themselves and Sudan, all parties will be stuck in a stalemate. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok also stressed that the stalemate between the Nile Basin countries had eased, saying the countries had agreed to resume negotiations on a technical committee with the aim of reaching an agreement in two weeks. The three leaders welcomed the agreement on the “declaration of principles” in speeches at the Republican Palace in Khartoum and watched a short film about the great Renaissance dam highlighting how it could benefit the region, the Associated Press news agency reports.
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