Egypt said it would be prepared to defend its share of water from the river Nile if this is threatened by Ethiopia’s hydroelectric dam on Africa’s longest river.
Ethiopia has always dismissed Egypt’s misgivings about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as untrue.
Egytian foreign minister Badr Abdellatty Monday called for the intervention of the United Nations Security Council to deal with the protracted dispute over the share of the Nile water after several mediated talks collapsed.
In an official letter addressed to the UN Security Council and released on social media, Abdelatty accused Ethiopia of its unilateral filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) for the fifth time in a row.
“We are ready to exercise our right to defend and protect the rights and interests of the Egyptian people, in accordance with the UN Charter,” said the Egyptian Foreign minister in the letter addressed to the President of the UN Security Council.
According to Egypt, these actions violate previous international agreements and norms. In his letter, Abdelatty explained that, after 13 years of negotiations, Egypt believes that Ethiopia is simply trying to buy time to impose a fait accompli without any real intention of reaching a resolution.
“Egypt is almost entirely dependent on the Nile River for its renewable water resources, which are indispensable for the vital human needs and fundamental rights of Egyptians,” the letter stated.
Cairo said that after “having exhausted all amicable means, including those repeatedly resorting to the Security Council, in hopes of persuading Ethiopia to desist from its unlawful unilateral policies and accept any of the existing compromise solutions that balance the interests and rights of all parties, the Government of Egypt, therefore stands ready to exercise its rights to defend and protect the rights and interests of the Egyptian people, in accordance with the United Nations Charter.”
Egypt’s verbal escalation against Ethiopia comes after the signing of a military agreement between the Egyptian and Somali governments, which resulted in the deployment of Egyptian troops (at least 10,000 men) in Somalia, bordering Ethiopia.
MG/as/APA