Ethiopia: Egypt asked to explain dam construction without our consent

Ethiopia’s Minister of Water and Energy, Haptamu Eitifa, stated that his country possesses a sovereign right to develop and utilize its water resources in the Nile River, based on the principle of equitable and reasonable use, rejecting calls that require Ethiopia to obtain prior consent from downstream states for its water resource development projects. In a post on social media on Saturday, the minister clarified that Ethiopia has repeatedly called for consultations on Nile water projects, revealing that historical records from the 1950s document Ethiopian objections to the lack of broader consultation regarding the Aswan project and previous arrangements concerning Nile waters, according to him. Haptamu said that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) operates under a newer regional framework, namely the 2015 Declaration of Principles, signed by Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt, as reported by the Ethiopian News Agency. Haptamu stated, “Before criticizing Ethiopia, Egypt should explain why it built the High Aswan Dam without Ethiopia’s consent,” linking the historical experience of the Aswan project to the current debate over the GERD. He added, “Egypt’s historical record provides no basis for criticizing Ethiopia merely for consulting with downstream states, because Ethiopia itself formally objected in the 1950s to the absence of consultation regarding the High Aswan Dam and previous arrangements concerning Nile waters,” according to him. Haptamu pointed out that, in contrast, the GERD has been addressed within the framework of the 2015 Declaration of Principles, signed by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan.