Ethiopia comments on Egypt’s position on establishing a “permanent Nile Basin Commission”

The Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Etefa, spoke about what he described as “the opposition of Egypt and Sudan” to joining the “Permanent Commission for the Nile River Basin” agreement, explaining that the agreement has entered into force, according to what was reported by the official Ethiopian news agency “ENA”. According to the Ethiopian agency, “six Nile Basin countries have ratified the establishment of the Commission,” which Addis Ababa considers “the permanent legal and institutional mechanism for managing and developing shared water resources in the Nile Basin,” to replace the Nile Basin Transitional Initiative.

Habtamu said, on Saturday, that “the resistance of Egypt and Sudan led to the prolongation of the activation of the Nile River Basin Commission Agreement,” according to the official Ethiopian agency. The Ethiopian minister added, "The Cooperative Framework Agreement represents a major shift from previous arrangements that, from the Ethiopian point of view, excluded upstream countries from effective participation in managing the Nile waters," he said.

The minister explained that "the agreement establishes a common principle that the Nile belongs to all the countries of its basin, and calls for joint management, development and protection of the river, in addition to respect for each other by the riparian countries." He said, "Egypt and Sudan oppose this approach, which puts them in confrontation with the position of the majority of the Nile Basin countries," he claimed.

He said, “The Cooperative Framework Agreement says to the world and to the beneficiary member states: The Nile belongs to all of us. We must preserve it, manage the river, develop it, not pollute it, and respect each other.”

Our brothers from the downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, oppose this idea, and they are against the voice of the majority,” according to the Ethiopian “ENA” agency. The Ethiopian Minister of Water claimed that “the agreement is based on the principles of fair and reasonable use of water, sustainable management, and exchange of information, and not on depriving the downstream countries of their interests.”

He called on Egypt and Sudan to engage within the framework of the agreement instead of opposing it. He said, “Continued opposition to activating the commission has become an obstacle to advancing cooperation at the level of the entire Nile Basin.”

He also claimed that “Egypt’s resistance also represents part of a longer pattern of opposition to Ethiopian development of Nile water resources, including projects that preceded the Renaissance Dam.” The Ethiopian minister rejected the idea that “Ethiopia’s development of the Nile’s tributaries should be subject to the approval of the downstream countries,” stressing that Ethiopia “has the right to seek development, while ensuring that its projects do not cause (serious damage) to other riparian countries.”

Habtamo stressed that “Ethiopia prefers cooperation over confrontation,” stressing that “the delay in establishing the commission will not stop the country from continuing to develop its water resources.” So far, no official statements or positions have been issued by the downstream countries, Egypt or Sudan, regarding the commission’s entry into force.

The Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Etefa, said that the “Nile River Cooperative Framework Agreement” entered into force a few days ago, explaining that it “will recognize the legal rights of all Nile Basin countries and make them subject to the fair distribution and sustainable use of water.” Last Sunday, 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 responsible 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. The responsible source confirmed that “these statements once again reject the repeated Ethiopian claims that its movements aim at development without harming others, as explicitly announcing the pursuit of (controlling) the flows of an international river to the two downstream countries reveals an extremely dangerous approach that does not aim to achieve legitimate development, as much as it reflects an attempt to impose a fait accompli, monopolize a shared international water resource, and use the geographical location to threaten the water rights and interests of the two downstream countries, which is not recognized by international law, and Egypt will not allow it to be imposed as a fait accompli.” According to Al-Ahram Gate.

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. 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.

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. Cairo's position was supported by US President Donald Trump during his first and second terms.

Trump had 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.