It is almost a decade since Ethiopia began to build the titanic dam on the world’s longest river, the Nile. The initiation of this dam project was a great deal which brought winds of joy and hope for Ethiopians, as it carries the responsibility of meeting the rising power demand in an energy-hungry country, improving developments and creating vibrant economic cooperation with neighbouring countries which could possibly change the history of Nile from being a source of conflict to the force of cooperation in the region. However, some Egyptians received this as an infuriating reality which gives them restless nights of contemplation with the worst nightmares.
After the news of the the dam broke out in 2011, the Egyptians seemed that they were on the verge of extinction as if the Nile water was supernaturally disappeared from the surface of the earth. Besides this, they couldn’t believe and tolerate the daredevil attempt of a poverty stroke country, Ethiopia, they seem to believe. They felt like Ethiopia would arrest the Nile waters and abolish their eternally “acquired rights” on the river which demands Cairo’s merciful approval for any projects on the river and its tributaries for virtually a century.
It was considered as irreverence; a threat to the nation and a violation of the basic principles of the obsolete and unbinding colonial-brokered treaties of 1929 and1959.
Hence, the Egyptians were greatly determined to send sudden fiery rains of financial retaliation and diplomatic pressures on Ethiopia which could cripple the uprising passion and the courageous move of the black lions to build the huge dam. They went to every possible place to hamper the GERD project from happening and disarm Ethiopia’s financial arsenals. At last, they managed to block all financial provisions from financial institutions and the Superpowers. However, regardless of these famous diplomatic and threatening efforts; thanks to the determined and magnanimous citizens of Ethiopia, the Egyptians couldn’t stop the Ethiopians from building the dam.
Ever since the early stages of the construction of the dam, Ethiopia has been engaged in continuous negotiations with Egypt and Sudan, believing a mutually benefiting agreement could possibly be signed, resolving the Water allocation issues once for all. Even though, Ethiopia remains voicing equitable, fair and reasonable allocation of the Nile water among the Nile basin nations for over nine years, however, Egyptians who never wanted to lose their “veto power” on the river keep revolutionizing their approach with disgraceful diplomatic coercing and a continuous demonizing of Ethiopia’s image before the international community and the Arab League in particular (with exceptions of few countries), seeking support for their selfish position in the dispute and their water war against Ethiopia and the riparian countries instead of a normal bargaining processes. Consequently they have been supporting rebel or opposition groups to create chaos and unrest in the riparian countries to halt the endeavour of execution of their development plans on the River.
Egyptians’ excessive attachment to their old-aged undiplomatic tactics greatly implies that they hardly have an aspiration to put themselves under the umbrella of fair, equitable, and reasonable allocation of the Nile water. They came to negotiations simply because they failed to stop Ethiopia and are forced by Ethiopia’s determination of building the dam. They have no genuine intention to negotiate and don’t believe in negotiation at all. Their mere desire is to manipulate, dominate, and enjoy development from the Nile with colonial treaties alone. Hence, they are still struggling to escalate the situations by playing the victim card and presenting themselves as the injured party due to the construction of the GERD with a clear intention to halt negotiations and play out Ethiopia.
It is no secret to the world that when it comes to the Nile River, Egypt never appreciates and most of the time greatly violates the international water laws and practices. They are still engulfed in conspiracy theories and a threatening stance against upstream countries, specifically against Ethiopia. And their threatening stance is against people’s lives and their survival as it doesn’t allow compromise and mutual bargain.
Egyptians should comprehend that despite their historically adopted aggressive approach to the flow of the River Nile and their utmost desire of sticking to the undeserved privileges and the so-called “acquired rights” of the colonial brokered treaties of the 1929 and 1959, however, upper streamed countries no longer forced to place themselves under the mercy hand of Cairo to implement their development plan on the Nile and its tributaries. No power can force them to subject their national development plans to the inspection and supervision of Egypt again. The historical right of Egypt on the Nile has gone with the wind of colonialism. And there is no such thing called historical right in the international water laws.
Despite having a full right on the Nile, Ethiopia never once thought to violate the interest of downstream countries. Ethiopia still believes in working together in good faith to use the Nile water on basis of equal sharing and efficient utilization of the water among the Nile basin countries.
Egypt, on the other hand, needs to stop issuing threats and turn its attention to normal negotiating routes as the first step towards equitable and reasonable allocation for all the riparian states. In addition, all the Nile basin countries must collaborate for the peace and prosperity of Africa.
The Ethiopian Herald July 16, 2020
BY EYOB BELACHEW
