Ethiopia: Egypt built the High Dam without our consent, so why does it object to the Renaissance Dam?

The Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Etefa, spoke on Saturday about the High Dam that Egypt built on the Nile River in Aswan, in the south of the country, claiming that the project was implemented “without Ethiopia’s approval,” unlike the Renaissance Dam, which was built based on the Declaration of Principles Agreement signed between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, according to what was reported by the official Ethiopian “ENA” news agency. The minister claimed that the historical legacy of the High Dam and its construction “caused widespread social unrest.”

The minister described the Aswan High Dam as one of the most influential giant dam projects in Africa. Habtamo said: “Ethiopia has a sovereign right to develop and use its water resources in the Nile River based on the principle of fair and reasonable use,” rejecting calls for Ethiopia to obtain prior approval from the two downstream countries for its projects to develop water resources, according to what was reported by the “ENA” agency.

The Ethiopian Minister of Water claimed in his statements, “that Ethiopia has repeatedly called for consultation on Nile water projects, revealing that historical records from the 1950s documented Ethiopian objections to the absence of broader consultation regarding the High Dam project in Aswan and previous arrangements related to the Nile water,” he said. Habtamu added, “The Renaissance Dam is subject to a more recent regional framework, represented by the 2015 Declaration of Principles, which was signed by Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt,” as quoted by the official Ethiopian News Agency.

“Before criticizing Ethiopia, Egypt should explain why it built the Aswan High Dam without Ethiopia’s approval,” Habtamu said. The minister added, "Egypt's historical record does not give it any moral basis to criticize Ethiopia simply for consulting with downstream countries, because Ethiopia itself officially objected in the 1950s to the absence of consultation regarding the Aswan High Dam and previous arrangements related to the Nile waters," he claimed.

An official Egyptian source responded to the recent statements attributed to the Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy, during which he spoke about building additional dams on the Nile River and “controlling” water flows to the downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan. The source said that these statements “represent an extension of the unilateral Ethiopian approach in flagrant violation of international law, and reflect Addis Ababa’s continued illusions about the possibility of imposing hegemony over a common international river and subjecting it to the will of one state,” according to what was reported by the Egyptian government website, Al-Ahram Gate.

Egypt has strongly opposed the construction of the dam from the beginning, arguing that it violates water treaties dating back to the British colonial era and poses an existential threat, as Egypt, with a population of about 108 million, depends on the Nile River for about 90% of its fresh water. Egypt fears that the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will reduce its water supply during periods of drought and lead to the construction of other dams upstream.

Sudan has joined Egypt's calls to conclude legally binding agreements on filling and operating the dam, but it may also benefit from improved flood management and access to cheap energy. Egypt's position was supported by US President Donald Trump during his first and second terms.

Trump recently said that "the situation is dangerous, and that Cairo may end up blowing up that dam," but his administration failed to reach an agreement on the project, as years of talks regarding it did not result in any agreement. Ethiopia began construction of the Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile in April 2011, before officially opening it on September 9, 2025, after more than 14 years of construction work.

During this period, the three countries engaged in marathon negotiations without reaching an agreement on operating the dam. Relations between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan witnessed tension due to the fear of the two downstream countries (Egypt and Sudan) of a threat to their historical shares of the Nile water due to the Renaissance Dam.

Egypt and Sudan asked Ethiopia for a binding agreement regarding its operations, and refused to infringe on the “water rights” of the two downstream countries, which Addis Ababa objected to.