Egypt vows to defend Nile River amid threats from Ethiopia

CAIRO - The relationship between Ethiopia and Egypt could further deteriorate over the consumption of the Nile River water, despite efforts by the US and other international partners to reunite both parties after months of diplomatic fallout.

Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, the president of Egypt, said his administration shall defend the Nile River, warning that anyone who thinks Egypt shall overlook its rights to Nile water access is 'completely mistaken'.

At Cairo, during a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said the flow of the River Nile is affected by the forests, swamps, evaporation, and groundwater, leading to scarcity along the downstream.

“Only a minor portion of water reaches the Nile, and that Egypt and Sudan together receive about 85 billion cubic meters - only around 4 percent of the total,” he added.

Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi states that abandoning the quest to defend the Nile River water would lead to scarcity of water in Egypt, thus affecting the livelihood of the people. He was referring to the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam by Ethiopia along the Nile.

Egypt depends on the Nile River water for irrigation, given that it is an arid land. He framed the Nile water issue within a broader pressure campaign aimed at Egypt to advance unrelated objectives, adding that he is ready to defend the waters.

“Egypt opposes interference, destruction, or conspiracies and instead prioritizes construction, development, and continental unity,” he said.

The construction of the dam by Ethiopia has caused panic within the Nile River belt, with Egypt and Sudan accusing Ethiopia of depriving them livelihoods. The government of Egypt has tried diplomacy with the US, actively pushing for a long-term solution along the Nile Basin to avert conflicts.

GAROWE ONLINE