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Current status in Ethio-Egypt relations
Gemechu Tussa
The Nile Basin countries have endowed with a huge resource: the Nile River. They could have mutually benefited if and only if they apply appropriate water management and good will to develop together. However, there are impediments in implementing cooperation among the basin countries due to various reasons. One of the major reasons that retarded the countries from working for a win-win solution is the interest of the downstream country Egypt to maintain its water monopoly.
In this regard, Ethiopia has been attempting to bring downstream countries to a round table so as to create the notion of mutual benefit. As a result, different negotiations have made so far between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, although the discussion has terminated recently. Following the disharmony and termination of the tripartite discussion, there is a plan for the two leaders, Egyptian president El sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam, to meet in Cairo and discuss on the issue.
There are some reports about some Egyptian Parliament Members who have been attempting to poison the Ethio-Egyptian relations. According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of PMs who have been opposing the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s visit to Cairo and his scheduled speech to the parliament are inconsiderable when compared to the 590 parliament members of Egypt.
It is usual that some media, scholars and politicians have been sticking to the colonial thinking that goes arguing Egypt is the only country that should be utilized the Nile Waters. That monopolistic thinking remained for a centuries and Egypt has been utilizing the Waters almost alone having given a gift of about 18 cubic meters to the Sudan. In the real sense, the Sudan was not equally beneficiary with Egypt based on the colonial treaty.
The egoism of Egyptians to maintain that water monopoly was ceased as Ethiopia the country, where more than 85 percent of the Nile Waters is originated, announced its hydro-power dam construction on the Nile River in 2014. This project is the first in its type that Ethiopia has been construction on the Nile since time immemorial.
Although the country was poor and need to harness its resource to feed its people, it was not in a position to implement such projects that could help the country to alleviate poverty due to various reasons. One of the most crucial constraints was financial problem. Ethiopia for a long time had no enough finance to implement such projects. It was also hard for the country to get funds from other development partners due to Egypt’s influence against Ethiopia’s fund raising efforts for such projects.
That strategy has been working since time immemorial. In those times Egypt has the upper hand in the diplomatic arena and Ethiopia was so isolated from the rest of the world due to the failure of previous Ethiopia regimes who had been considering every country as an enemy that negotiating for the best out of their diplomatic relations.
These challenges retarded Ethiopia to use its natural wealth while the Egypt and to some extent the Sudan were utilizing it to feed the people properly. In fact, the Nile River is so huge that all countries along it could be developing together if there is good will and cooperation. However, still there is self centered attitude particularly in Egypt.
The need to monopolize the water never fades away at this twenty first century where the world has been attempting to interconnect economically. The issue of the Nile Rivers is not the only concern of Ethiopia but all upstream and downstream countries.
These countries need to cooperate to properly manage and utilize the water. Sticking to a treaty that ignored these countries by no means could be binding. The 1929, the 1959 and other agreements held previously that excluded upstream countries from negotiations are typical examples. Those agreements did not incorporate all riparian countries mainly the upstream countries, the countries that have significant contribution to the Nile Water.
However, it is a public secret that the interest of Egypt to use the water alone having ignored other riparian countries is a serious concern to nine countries along the basin. These countries need to have fair and equitable water share. They need to benefit together from it as it is so huge to satisfy the need of every nation along the basin.
The Sudan is cooperating with Ethiopia for the past six years for the realization of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. In all the discussions held so far among the three countries: Ethiopia, the Sudan and Egypt, Sudan has the same stance with Ethiopia. Speaking at the celebration of the 12th Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Day held in Afar Regional State in Semera, the Sudanese President Al Beshir emphasized that “Ethiopia’s renaissance is Sudanese renaissance”.
This argument of really indicates that there is full understanding between the two countries that any development project in any of the countries along the basin could benefit all countries. If Ethiopia managed to accomplish the construction of the dam, not only Egypt and the Sudan but also other countries will be beneficiary of the project. Past decade’s experience is witnessing that the development in Ethiopia has contributed significantly to countries like Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan directly or indirectly.
But Egypt still resisted not only joining the New Framework Agreement that was signed by all basin countries except three but also refused to accept the development in Ethiopia. It has brought preconditions after preconditions in the ongoing tripartite discussion held between the three countries, terminated recently due to Egypt’s irrelevant inquiry. This is not unusual that Egypt has been executing various activities in a bid to jeopardize development efforts of upstream countries along the Nile Waters.
All the upstream countries need to apply a win-win approach or their shared resource, the utilization of the Nile water. However, Egypt failed to cease its zero-sum game politics that it has been playing for centuries. The officials of that country have been attempting to jeopardize development efforts in upstream countries particularly in Ethiopia.
The current move by some members of the Egyptian Parliament is just the sequel of what that country had been doing up on Ethiopia since time immemorial. But this brings about a change on the schedule and on the entire diplomatic relationship between Ethiopia and Egypt. According to Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Meles Alemu, these groups could not retard the Premiers’ visit to Egypt and the scheduled speech delivery to the Egyptian Parliament.
In fact, there are some deviants in a society who usually oppose what governments do in their home and with other countries. This is inevitable. But the majority of the Egyptian people should know that Ethiopia is not running a project that inflicts any harm on them. Rather, they have to comprehend the Dam project, which is under construction in Ethiopia has multifaceted benefits to the Egyptians as well.
If the people get enough information that could encounter the propaganda of some of the groups and the media in Egypt that have been disseminating unfounded stories about the impacts of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, there will be better cooperation between the two people.
In fact, Ethiopians understand that the Nile is the life of the Egyptians as their entire life is interconnected with the River. But they should also understand that poverty alleviation through harnessing its natural resource basically water. The Ethiopia minister of the Government Communication Affairs Office once said, “Development is a matter of life or death to Ethiopians”.
The country has been implementing its poverty alleviation schemes that incorporate various mega projects. GERD is one of these projects aimed to help the country’s plan to alleviate poverty and ensure sustainable development.
The Premier’s visit that aimed to address the Egyptian people about the very notion of the construction of the Dam could help the Egyptian people to balance all the negative propagandas that have been inflicted to them by some irresponsible officials and media in that country. It is believed that the people in Egypt would know the reality from the first source and will cooperate with Ethiopia for mutual benefit and development.
