Newsletters
Ethiopia accused Egypt on Wednesday of carrying out a destabilization campaign in the Horn of Africa, escalating a long-running dispute between the two countries over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile.
In reference to the dispute between the two countries over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Ethiopia built on the Blue Nile, the ministry said in a statement that Egypt relies on “treaties dating back to the colonial era ... and is waging a destabilization campaign in the Horn of Africa, focused on Ethiopia but not limited to it.”
The ministry alleged that “Egypt has rejected dialogue and intensified its hostile rhetoric with a clear intention to escalate.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral actions regarding the GERD, saying that “Ethiopia’s practices pose a grave danger that threatens stability across the entire African continent.”
Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said last month that Ethiopia’s “unilateral and unregulated” measures in managing the GERD continue, renewing warnings about “the risks posed by the continued unilateral operation of the dam and its threat to the rights and interests of the downstream countries.”
Ethiopia began constructing the massive Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile in 2011, a multibillion-dollar project that Egypt views as a threat to its historic rights to the waters of Africa’s longest river.
Negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia, under the auspices of the African Union, came to a halt in April 2021 after the parties failed to reach an agreement, prompting Egypt to turn to the U.N. Security Council to call for pressure on Addis Ababa.
3 min read
