Ethiopia launches new accusations against Egypt over the High Dam

- The Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Etefa, repeated previous statements by Addis Ababa regarding the High Dam in Aswan, the southernmost part of Egypt, noting that it was built “without sufficient consideration of Ethiopia’s interests.” On Saturday, the official Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported the minister’s statements, who said, “Egypt implemented a number of water development projects without adequate consideration of Ethiopia’s interests, including the construction of the High Dam in Aswan and other water transfer projects.”

Eteva accused Egypt of following a “unilateral approach to developing the Nile water resources,” and called on it to “engage with Ethiopia and all other Nile Basin countries in meaningful negotiations and cooperation based on mutual understanding, consensus, and recognition of the legitimate development interests of all Basin countries.” The Ethiopian minister continued his speech by saying that his country "contributes more than 86 percent of the Nile's water," adding that "other upstream countries that contribute to the river's water also have the right to use their water resources for development purposes."

He also noted that “Egyptian political discourse on the Nile River aims in part to divert public attention from internal challenges, and to create the impression that the Egyptian government is protecting the country’s national interests.” The minister made similar statements last October, claiming that the historical legacy of the High Dam and its construction “caused widespread social unrest.”

He described the Aswan High Dam as "one of the most influential giant dam projects in Africa." At that time, 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 two downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan.

The source said that these statements "represent an extension of Ethiopia's unilateral 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." 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.