Ethiopia, however, prefers to have the flexibility to make decisions on how to deal with droughts. Unfortunately, since the start of the construction in 2011, the GERD has faced two major obstacles: domestic challenges and geopolitical realities. Improved relations among Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Sudanese can go a long way in enhancing the ability of their leaders to negotiate and adopt agreements that reflect the interests of citizens, especially regarding economic development and poverty alleviation. Poverty alleviation, which is a major concern for all Nile Basin countries, could form the basis of a cooperative arrangement between all the Nile’s riparians. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), costing $5bn, will be … The final report of … Egypt had asked the UNSC “to push the three countries to adhere to their obligations in accordance with the rules of international law in order to reach a fair and balanced solution to the issue of the GERD.” Egypt’s repeated references to the rules of international law is part of an effort to maintain its so-called “natural and historical rights” that were established and reaffirmed by the 1929 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty and 1959 Agreement between Egypt and Sudan, respectively—treaties many of the other involved parties reject as anachronistic and untenable. Indeed, Cairo’s insistence on relying on colonial-era agreements has presented two critical challenges to their Africa strategies. Sudan has threatened to sue Ethiopia and the Italian company implementing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) if the second filling of the dam is conducted without a legal deal. It even saw the sudden death of a popular engineer who had supervised the first phase of the construction. Is Ethiopia … After Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to office in 2018, press freedom considerably improved. Ethiopia sees the dam as necessary for its drive to industrialise, and as a symbol of national pride: much of the money for its construction was contributed by small donations from the population. In particular Egypt, the country with the Nile River’s lowest basin, has rejected Ethiopia’s compromises. Such an understanding and appreciation of Egypt’s water vulnerability would help the riparians develop a water management protocol that can significantly enhance equitable and reasonable use while minimizing significant harm to downstream riparians. For example, Ethiopians and Egyptians are more likely to understand and appreciate the challenges that they face, particularly in the areas of water security, climate change, food production, and poverty alleviation, if they regularly interact with each other and engage in more bottom-up, participatory and inclusive approaches to the resolution of their conflicts. In Ethiopia which is one of the most important water sources of the NR, a study for constructing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile close to … Furthermore, resolving conflicts involving the Nile River is most likely to be more successful through improvements in relations between the riparians and not through external intervention. While non-African actors are increasingly present in the negotiations, the African Union (AU) is playing a marginal role. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The dispute over the GERD is part of a long-standing feud between Egypt and Sudan—the downstream states—on the one hand, and Ethiopia and the upstream riparians on the other over access to the Nile’s waters, which are considered a lifeline for millions of people living in Egypt and Sudan. GERD construction may stall because of financial problems: former minister The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) may stall, as the Italian companies that are set to build the dam have not yet been paid, according to Egypt’s former Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Nasr Eddin Allam. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, formerly known as the Millennium Dam and sometimes referred to as Hidase Dam, is Egypt has also escalated its call to the international community to get involved. Regardless of how many times Ethiopian, Sudanese, and Egyptian officials have met, no consensus has been reached and no agreements have been signed. Controversy has surrounded GERD since construction on the project began in 2011, and while the dam is expected to be completed in 2017, negotiations between … Basically, Ethiopia should cooperate with the other riparian states in developing and adopting an effective drought mitigation protocol, one that includes the possibility that GERD managers may have to release water from the reservoir, when necessary, to mitigate droughts. The Ethiopian Ambassador in Russia, Alemayehu Tegenu Aargau, yesterday ruled out the outbreak of a military conflict between Ethiopia and Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Hence, after many years of negotiations, most of the countries where the Nile and its tributaries originate from have come up with the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) that called for equitable and fair use of the water resources. the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam(GRED) CAIRO - 19 January 2020: Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok confirmed that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam threatens the safety of 20 million Sudanese citizens, noting that "their lives are dependent on the Blue Nile." Misplaced Opposition to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Minga Negash, Seid Hassan and Mammo Muchie1 April 30, 2014 I The 1929 Nile water allocation agreement that was signed by Egypt and the United Kingdom (which excluded Ethiopia and nearly all ot her upper basin countries) allocated 48 billion Secondly, unless Egypt changes course and negotiates with Ethiopia and Sudan in good faith, it could further complicate future strategic cooperation efforts. Ethiopia’s on-going construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River has attracted speculation that it could lead to a ‘water war’.. While non-African actors are increasingly present in the negotiations, the African Union (AU) is playing a marginal role. Besides teaching and research, Yohannes contributes to many international medias by writing op-eds, explainers, and commentaries on ranges of topics related to Eastern African politics in general and Ethiopian politics in particular. Ethiopia has called Egypt’s strategy a delaying tactic, and even after the involvement of the U.S. government and the World Bank, marathon discussions could not bear any fruit. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD, under construction on the Blue Nile near the Ethiopian-Sudanese border, is now approximately 50% complete. If Egyptian authorities refuse to abandon these anachronistic treaties—which have created untenable water-use rights that benefit only itself and Sudan—all parties will remain at an impasse. Nevertheless, Egypt must not use sympathy for its water vulnerability as a weapon to frustrate the efforts of the other riparians to secure an agreement that is balanced, fair, and equitable. Officials in Addis Ababa argue that the GERD will have no major impact on water flow into the Nile, instead arguing that the hydropower dam will provide benefits to countries in the region, including as a source of affordable electric power and as a major mechanism for the management of the Nile, including the mitigation of droughts and water salinity. On an international scale the environmental impacts of the construction of The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam are minimal and relatively unexplored. Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia have been locked in inconclusive talks for nearly a decade over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) which broke ground in 2011. What Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia must overcome to all benefit from the Grand Renaissance Dam. During a … Although Khartoum initially opposed the construction of the GERD, it has since warmed up to it, citing its potential to improve prospects for domestic development. Although Ethiopia has argued that the hydroelectric GERD will not significantly affect the flow of water into the Nile, Egypt, which depends almost entirely on the Nile waters for household and commercial uses, sees the dam as a major threat to its water security. Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is Africa’s biggest hydroelectric project and the 10 th largest in the world. The Egyptian government’s rhetoric on the dam is the external geopolitical challenge that needs to be settled. Eventually, as political stability prevailed in Egypt, the negotiations continued, and the three countries in 2015 signed a Declarations of Principles, designed to reach consensus on the critical issues involving the GERD’s construction and completion. 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(@HannahGetachew) December 21, 2019. The dam is … Guidance for the Brookings community and the public on our response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) », Learn more from Brookings scholars about the global response to coronavirus (COVID-19) ». Moreover, Egypt’s domestic rhetoric on Nile water-related discussions to revive Egyptian nationalism and as a means to gain political legitimacy has damaged efforts of the technical teams of involved countries, including Egypt’s successive technical teams that seem to agree on certain terms today only to replace them with new terms after returning to Cairo. One question that keeps coming up is: Will Ethiopia be willing to release enough water from the reservoir to help mitigate a drought downstream? For Ethiopia, where 54 percent of citizens live without access to electricity, completing this flagship project as soon as possible remains a priority. Photo: Eduardo Soteras, AFP. While construction has been resumed and the dam is now for 70 percent completed, the time-frame to fill the dam and matters related to future water management issues, especially in cases of drought seasons, have not been agreed upon by Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. A regional framework for the management of the Nile already exists—the Nile Basin Initiative mentioned above—which is a partnership among the Nile riparian states that was launched in 1999. Unfortunately, with Egypt replacing its technical teams from time to time, both Ethiopia and Sudan had to renegotiate the terms afresh again and again. To challenge the upper basin countries’ growing determination to utilize their fair share of Nile waters for power generation and beyond, Egyptian authorities have been citing 1929 and 1959 treaties that provided Egypt (and to a certain extent Sudan) with a monopoly over the Nile waters’ rights. If the relevant parties can agree to these goals, the agreement, in the end, will need to include technical language that ensures equitable sharing of the Nile. The dispute resolution committee could be made up of the Nile Council of Ministers (Nile-COM), which includes the ministers in charge of water affairs in all member states of the Nile River Basin. not be filled without a legally binding agreement, when the flow of Nile water to the dam falls below 35-40 b.c.m. Third, Egypt should abandon continued references to its so-called natural historical rights (i.e., the water rights granted Egypt by the 1929 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty and the 1959 Agreement between Egypt and Sudan). At this point, though, the GERD is nearly completed, and so Egypt has shifted its position to trying to secure a political agreement over the timetable for filling the GERD’s reservoir and how the GERD will be managed, particularly during droughts. 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