Ethiopia: Egypt must explain its construction of the High Dam without our approval before criticizing the Renaissance Dam

Listen to the article. The audio text is automated, generated by an automated system

The Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Etefa, said that his country 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 downstream countries for its projects to develop water resources.

The minister explained in a post on social media early today, Saturday, 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 Aswan project and previous arrangements related to the Nile water.

In light of this historical background, Habtamu said that 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, according to what was published by the Ethiopian News Agency.

Etefa stressed that the historical legacy of the High Dam in Aswan, Egypt, and its construction caused widespread social unrest, noting that the project was implemented without the approval of Ethiopia.

Habtamu said: “Before criticizing Ethiopia, Egypt should explain why it built the High Dam in Aswan without Ethiopia’s approval,” linking the historical experience of the Aswan project to the current debate regarding the Renaissance Dam.

He considered that Egypt's historical record weakens its criticism of Ethiopia on the basis of consultation with downstream countries only, pointing to the "displacement of Nubian communities" linked to the High Dam project.

He said: "Egypt's historical record does not give it any moral basis to criticize Ethiopia merely 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 waters of the Nile, while the Aswan project caused widespread displacement of Nubian communities."

Habtamu noted that the Renaissance Dam, by contrast, was addressed within the framework of the 2015 Declaration of Principles, which was signed by Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.