Diplomacy

Egypt Calls Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam 'Illegitimate'

AI SUMMARY

Egypt declared the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam illegitimate and said it reserves the right to take measures to protect its water security.

Egyptian Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Hani Sewilam declared the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam illegitimate.
Sewilam stated that Egypt reserves the right to take necessary measures to safeguard its national water security.
He emphasized that the physical completion of the dam does not mean Cairo has relinquished its historic riparian rights.
Sewilam noted that the 2015 Declaration of Principles establishes mutual commitments on filling, operations, and data exchange, providing no mandate for unilateral actions.
He warned that uncoordinated operations risk abrupt fluctuations in downstream river flows and operational hazards for downstream dams in Egypt and Sudan.
Cairo's annual water quota is 55.5 billion cubic metres, representing about 2.7 percent of the Nile Basin's rainfall.
Ethiopia received more than 1 trillion cubic metres of rainfall in 2023 and has over 18 million hectares of agricultural land.
Cairo and Khartoum are demanding a legally binding agreement covering drought protocols, while Addis Ababa maintains an accord is unnecessary.