After fighting over the Nile for the last several months, Egypt and Ethiopia have kissed and made up.
After a decades-long monopoly over the Nile river, Egypt became defensive when Ethiopia stood up to reclaim its rightful share of water. In addition to making public a plan to build what is now known as the Grand Renaissance Dam in March this year, Ethiopia corralled several other Nile Basin countries in order to re-draft legislation that previously gave Egypt almost exclusive rights to the river that serves 160 million people. The trouble is, 83 million Egyptians depend on the Nile for nearly all of their water, which is why, after a lot of posturing on both sides, Egypt has finally made friends with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
Rather than resist the massive dam project, which environmentalist groups such as International Rivers criticize on both environmental and social grounds, Egypt has decided to accept its potential benefits instead.
He said: “We can make the issue of the Grand Renaissance Dam something useful,” Al Jazeera reports. “This dam, in conjunction with the other dams, can be a path for development and construction between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.”
The two countries are starting a new chapter that involves a “path of development and construction,” a “win-win strategy,” according to the paper, which quotes Zenawi:
We have agreed to quickly establish a tripartite team of technical experts to review the impact of the dam that is being built in Ethiopia.
This marks a strong divergence from the Prime Minister’s former position, which was one of complete defiance. All requests to conduct independent environmental and social impact assessments were previously rejected, and the country excluded Egypt and Sudan from an initiative that would have reapportioned the river’s flow.
Ratification of a new treaty has been put on hold to give Egypt a chance to determine its position.
Although peace between Egypt and Ethiopia is certainly better than the alternative, hopefully this new friendship will not distract either country from the real issue: how can this dam be sustainably built so that future Egyptians and Ethiopians will also be able to benefit from the Nile?
:: Al Jazeera
More Nile Dam News:
How Climate Change Could Affect the New Nile Dam
Ethiopia Can’t Afford the New Nile Dam
Defiant Ethiopia to Proceed with Massive Dam on Nile River
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Egypt isn’t Africa’s most populated country! It would be Nigeria! Ethiopia and Egypt both have about the same number of people. Making Egypt seem more grand than it is has been one of the tools of intimidation to get Black Africa not to stand up and claim what belongs to it! That era is over, as is Egypt’s old leadership.
The good news, through cooperation and peace, the two can develop the Nile like never before. It is a fact that the soil of Ethiopia and waters originating from it, can feed the entire Sub-saharan Africa, let alone Egypt and Ethiopia.
You’re absolutely right. Thank you for pointing that out.