Latest news with #waterdispute
France 24
23-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Un report on Rwandan, Ugandan support
Also, the deputy head of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam project has rejected new claims by Donald Trump that America funded most of the construction. It's not the first time the US president has waded into a long-running spat between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan, over the dam... Trump has also suggested that he can broker a quick deal to settle the dispute -- and his comments appear to back Cairo, which says the project will lead to water shortages in the Nile. Finally, finally in Sudan, a small stadium in the northern city of Berber has hosted the country's first football league game in two years. A rare moment of joy for supporters and players, with the country still embroiled in a violent civil war.
The National
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Trump says Egypt's Nile water dispute with Ethiopia to be solved 'very quickly'
US President Donald Trump has vowed to work towards a quick resolution of Egypt 's water dispute with Ethiopia, which has completed building a Nile dam that Cairo claims could rob it of its vital share of the river's water. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi was quick to welcome Mr Trump's comments, heaping lavish praise on the American leader as a man of peace. Ethiopia has said construction of the dam is complete, and invited Egypt and Sudan, downstream nations that have vigorously opposed the project, to the inauguration ceremony. Construction on the hydroelectric $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) began in 2011. It sits on the Blue Nile, by far the larger of the river's two tributaries, near the Sudanese border. 'I think if I am Egypt, I want to have water in the Nile and we are working on that,' Mr Trump said at a meeting with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House. He said the dam was 'closing up water going to the Nile" and called the river 'a very important source of income and life ... to take that away is pretty incredible. But we think we are going to have that solved very quickly.' Mr El Sisi, Egypt's President of 11 years, responded on Tuesday to the US President's comments, writing on Facebook that his country appreciated them as proof of Washington's commitment under Mr Trump's leadership to end wars and settle disputes across the world. He specifically mentioned the Russia - Ukraine war, Africa and Gaza. "Egypt values the importance President Trump attaches to reaching a fair agreement that safeguards the interests of everyone linked to the Ethiopian dam and his assertion of what the Nile represents to Egypt as a source of life," he said. "Egypt renews its support for President Trump as he endeavours to install peace, stability and security in the nations of the region and the world." Mr El Sisi's praise of the American leader comes at a time when relations between the two allied nations are fraught over the Gaza war, which has been raging in the coastal enclave over Egypt's eastern border since October 2023. Besides his unwavering support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egypt is particularly alarmed by Mr Trump's proposal to resettle Gaza's 2.3 million residents in its Sinai Peninsula, as well as in Jordan. It says that if implemented, his vision for a Gaza turned into a glitzy beach resort without its native inhabitants poses a serious threat to Egyptian security. In protest over the Gaza plan first suggested by Mr Trump in January, Mr El Sisi has indefinitely put off a visit to Washington that had been scheduled for February, sources told The National at the time. For his part, Mr Trump did not include Egypt in his Middle East tour in May. Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, with about 107 million people, is alarmed that the Gerd project could reduce its share of the river, which provides almost all of its freshwater needs. It has called the dam an existential threat, arguing that any drop in its water share would wipe out millions of farming jobs and ruin Egypt's delicate food balance. Sudan, Egypt's war-torn southern neighbour, is concerned that any structural damage to the dam would leave large parts of the country underwater. It has also complained that Ethiopia is not sharing data on the dam's operation. Egypt and Sudan had engaged in years of fruitless negotiations with Ethiopia to reach a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam. Their criticism of Addis Ababa over the dam, however, has slackened off in the past two years, with Sudan mired in a devastating civil war since April 2023. Egypt, on the other hand, has been unaffected by the scheduled annual fillings of the dam that ended last summer, thanks to plentiful rain on the Ethiopian highlands that have kept the Nile bountiful. With the reservoir at full capacity, Egypt's main concern is how much water Addis Ababa will allow to flow downstream during times of severe drought. Ethiopia has maintained the dam does not pose a threat to anyone and is vital for its own development. It has said electricity generated by the dam would be available to neighbouring nations, including Sudan. The dam began producing power in 2022 and is expected ultimately to create more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity – double Ethiopia's current output and enough to make the East African nation of 120 million people a net energy exporter.
France 24
04-07-2025
- Business
- France 24
Ethiopia completes controversial Nile dam, escalating dispute with Egypt
Ethiopia 's prime minister said Thursday that a controversial power dam on the Nile is now complete, a major milestone for his country amid a dispute with Egypt over equitable sharing of the water. Egypt has long opposed the dam because of concerns it would deplete its share of Nile River waters. Egypt has referred to the dam, known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as an existential threat because the Arab world's most populous country relies almost entirely on the Nile to supply water for agriculture and its more than 100 million people. Negotiations between Ethiopia and Egypt over the years have not led to a pact, and questions remain about how much water Ethiopia will release downstream if a drought occurs. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in his address to lawmakers Thursday, said his government is 'preparing for its official inauguration" in September. 'While there are those who believe it should be disrupted before that moment, we reaffirm our commitment: the dam will be inaugurated,' he said. Abiy said his country 'remains committed to ensuring that our growth does not come at the expense of our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters.' 'We believe in shared progress, shared energy, and shared water,' he said. 'Prosperity for one should mean prosperity for all.' Ethiopia and Egypt have been trying to find an agreement for years over the $4 billion dam, which Ethiopia began building in 2011. Tensions over the dam, the largest in Africa, once were so high that some observers feared the two countries might go to war over it. But Ethiopia won the diplomatic support of upstream nations such as Uganda, home to a regional partnership of 10 countries that last year signed an accord on the equitable use of water resources from the Nile River basin. The accord of the partnership, known as the Nile Basin Initiative, came into force in October without being ratified by Egypt or Sudan. The dam, on the Blue Nile near the Sudan border, began producing power in 2022. The project is expected to ultimately produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity, which is double Ethiopia's current output and enough to make the East African nation of 120 million a net energy exporter. The dam is located about 500 kilometers (311 miles) northwest of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. It is 1,800 meters long and 175 meters high, and is backed by a reservoir that can hold up to 74 billion cubic meters of water, according to the main contractor. Ethiopia insists the dam is a crucial development that will help pull millions of its citizens out of poverty and become a major power exporter. It was not immediately possible to get a comment from Egypt, which has long asserted its rights to Nile water according to the terms of a colonial-era agreement. The agreement between Egypt and the United Kingdom gave downstream Egypt and Sudan rights to the Nile water, with Egypt taking the majority. That agreement, first signed in 1929, took no account of the other nations along the river basin that have demanded a more equitable accord.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ethiopia completes the power-generating dam on the Nile that caused a dispute with Egypt
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia's prime minister said Thursday that a controversial power dam on the Nile is now complete, a major milestone for his country amid a dispute with Egypt over equitable sharing of the water. Egypt has long opposed the dam because of concerns it would deplete its share of Nile River waters. Egypt has referred to the dam, known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as an existential threat because the Arab world's most populous country relies almost entirely on the Nile to supply water for agriculture and its more than 100 million people. Negotiations between Ethiopia and Egypt over the years have not led to a pact, and questions remain about how much water Ethiopia will release downstream if a drought occurs. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in his address to lawmakers Thursday, said his government is 'preparing for its official inauguration" in September. 'While there are those who believe it should be disrupted before that moment, we reaffirm our commitment: the dam will be inaugurated,' he said. Abiy said his country 'remains committed to ensuring that our growth does not come at the expense of our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters.' 'We believe in shared progress, shared energy, and shared water,' he said. 'Prosperity for one should mean prosperity for all.' Ethiopia and Egypt have been trying to find an agreement for years over the $4 billion dam, which Ethiopia began building in 2011. Tensions over the dam, the largest in Africa, once were so high that some observers feared the two countries might go to war over it. But Ethiopia won the diplomatic support of upstream nations such as Uganda, home to a regional partnership of 10 countries that last year signed an accord on the equitable use of water resources from the Nile River basin. The accord of the partnership, known as the Nile Basin Initiative, came into force in October without being ratified by Egypt or Sudan. The dam, on the Blue Nile near the Sudan border, began producing power in 2022. The project is expected to ultimately produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity, which is double Ethiopia's current output and enough to make the East African nation of 120 million a net energy exporter. The dam is located about 500 kilometers (311 miles) northwest of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. It is 1,800 meters long and 175 meters high, and is backed by a reservoir that can hold up to 74 billion cubic meters of water, according to the main contractor. Ethiopia insists the dam is a crucial development that will help pull millions of its citizens out of poverty and become a major power exporter. It was not immediately possible to get a comment from Egypt, which has long asserted its rights to Nile water according to the terms of a colonial-era agreement. The agreement between Egypt and the United Kingdom gave downstream Egypt and Sudan rights to the Nile water, with Egypt taking the majority. That agreement, first signed in 1929, took no account of the other nations along the river basin that have demanded a more equitable accord. ___ Muhumuza contributed from Kampala, Uganda. Samuel Getachew And Rodney Muhumuza, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Al Arabiya
03-07-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Ethiopia Says a Controversial Power Dam on the Nile That's Opposed by Egypt Has Been Completed
Ethiopia's prime minister said Thursday that a controversial power dam on the Nile is now complete – a major milestone for his country amid a dispute with Egypt over equitable sharing of the water. Egypt has long opposed the dam because of concerns it would deplete its share of Nile River waters. Egypt has referred to the dam – known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam – as an 'existential threat' because the Arab world's most populous country relies almost entirely on the Nile to supply water for agriculture and its more than 100 million people. Negotiations between Ethiopia and Egypt over the years have not led to a pact, and questions remain about how much water Ethiopia will release downstream if a drought occurs. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in his address to lawmakers Thursday, said his government is preparing for its official inauguration in September. 'While there are those who believe it should be disrupted before that moment, we reaffirm our commitment: the dam will be inaugurated,' he said. Abiy said his country remains committed to ensuring that 'our growth does not come at the expense of our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters. We believe in shared progress, shared energy and shared water,' he said. 'Prosperity for one should mean prosperity for all.' Ethiopia and Egypt have been trying to find an agreement for years over the $4 billion dam, which Ethiopia began building in 2011. Tensions over the dam – the largest in Africa – once were so high that some observers feared the two countries might go to war over it. But Ethiopia won the diplomatic support of upstream nations such as Uganda, home to a regional partnership of 10 countries that last year signed an accord on the equitable use of water resources from the Nile River basin. The accord of the partnership – known as the Nile Basin Initiative – came into force in October without being ratified by Egypt or Sudan. The dam on the Blue Nile near the Sudan border began producing power in 2022. The project is expected to ultimately produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity, which is double Ethiopia's current output and enough to make the East African nation of 120 million a net energy exporter. The dam is located about 500 kilometers (311 miles) northwest of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. It is 1,800 meters long and 175 meters high and is backed by a reservoir that can hold up to 74 billion cubic meters of water, according to the main contractor. Ethiopia insists the dam is a crucial development that will help pull millions of its citizens out of poverty and become a major power exporter. It was not immediately possible to get a comment from Egypt, which has long asserted its rights to Nile water according to the terms of a colonial-era agreement. The agreement between Egypt and the UK gave downstream Egypt and Sudan rights to the Nile water, with Egypt taking the majority. That agreement, first signed in 1929, took no account of the other nations along the river basin that have demanded a more equitable accord.
