The way the facts of the past few weeks regarding Ethiopia’s stance on the usage of the Nile waters developed can never be stressed enough. These are very crucial days for Ethiopians and their future aspirations. Egyptians’ stance vis a vis the Nile has always been clear and unequivocal. They want the maintenance of the status quo i.e. the monopoly over the waters as if they had some ‘divine rights’ accorded to them! It would be an understatement to describe such attitude as ‘a belief in fairy tales’ in the twenty first century!
The Nile originates in Ethiopia and crosses its valleys and gorges and finishes in the Mediterranean Sea having traversed the deserts of Sudan and Egypt. The latter two have been using it for ages, undisturbed, unhampered by Ethiopians. And yet we never heard any words of gratitude from them! On the contrary, what they consistently did was present a base and training for the enemies of successive Ethiopia’s governments! This is a reality that everyone has seen and even themselves never made a mystery of it. We have heard of groups who liked to call themselves ‘freedom fighters’ being offered all sorts of support and safe haven by Egypt not because Egyptians suddenly became ‘champions of freedom and justice or democracy’ (things that are in shortage even in their own backyards!) but because they wanted to make sure that Ethiopia never had the occasion to develop its resources, one of which is the Nile.
The pattern has always been to create problems in Ethiopia so that a strong central government, capable of developing the country’s natural wealth can never make it. That has been the strategy of successive Egyptian governments even if they do not say it in the open. For that they have also campaigned in international financial bodies and governments that would be inclined to assist Ethiopia in its quest to develop the Nile.
In the twenty first century trying to apply the rules of logic of two centuries ago is simply ridiculous and shameful, and we see there are many who rely on them for convenience.
Egypt has always found it convenient to sit behind the phrase ‘the Gift of the Nile’ as some historian once called her. This in practice helped it raise its status to the only legitimate country that has full titles on the water. Such mentality has driven its politicians to believe on their own and then convince their constituencies that as far as the Nile goes, the reality called Ethiopia does not exist and if it tries to exert any move on the Nile, Egyptians would feel fully entitled to use ‘any means’ to stop it! This has apparently been the cornerstone of Egyptians’ strategy and policy on the Nile. So much so that they have shamelessly put a provision in their constitution that would entitle them to use any means including force to stop any claims of Ethiopia on the water! This is just absurd! It is just the most absurd way of trying to use archaic mentality in the twenty first century.
We have seen that Egyptian politicians have often tried to use the Nile card as a political weapon and anyone who wanted to be popular in Egypt would just feed some fiery rhetoric against ‘Ethiopians who are threatening to block the river and then starve Egyptians to death’! It is a very effective way of fear mongering or war mongering that many undemocratic politicians are seen using when they want to stir emotions and bring the people aboard their bandwagon of nationalism and populism!
Beating the drums of war to self defense is something that any shrewd politician would use; but this would be unsustainable in a democracy where people could have multiple sources of information and choose what they consider is more credible, reasonable and sustainable.
Egyptians have always conducted massive propaganda regarding Ethiopia on the origin and usage of the Nile in a manner that seems to attribute every right on the water to themselves and that Ethiopia should not dare claim ‘not even a teaspoon full of water’! Some extremist elements, encouraged in various manners by the government, have gone to the extent of threatening Ethiopia with military force!
Ethiopians know that the Nile is of course a natural gift given to all the countries that happen to be bathed by it. They realize that what they need to do is just sit down and talk how to make the best out of it, based on logic and reason rather than muscles and absurd narratives that are vain. They are not up to the spirit of the times. The truth may remain buried for a while but it cannot be totally demolished and sooner or later it comes out rising high for all to see.
Egyptians who are reasonable know this fact as do all other peoples of the basin. There is no way of denying evident truths anymore and injustices cannot continue ad infinitum because today’s Ethiopians are not those of a century ago nor a few decades ago for that matter! They are now a new force, full of energy and viguor and ready to smash the walls of poverty and misery and win a decent livelihood. And for that they now have every means including a leadership that is supported by the vast majority of the population, a leadership that has risen to the challenges of the times.
The recent diplomatic successes regarding the first phase of the filling of the Grand Renaissance Dam are demonstration of this change of trajectory and direction. Ethiopians cannot submit to the long arms of certain powers who try to threaten the sovereignty of the country using their influence in the world! Ethiopia cannot subject itself to any forms of veiled neocolonial or neo-imperialist attitude of certain governments or powers because it knows it is in its legitimate rights to elevate the standard of living of its people by harnessing every resource it has, create industries using the power generated from the Grand Dam and creating jobs for its millions of youths.
It should be clear to everyone that bringing wealth and development in Ethiopia means the stopping of all forms of immigration or illegal human trafficking to Western and even Middle East countries. Ethiopians should stop flocking to foreign countries in search of employment. Western countries would rather be more far sighted and support Ethiopia’s endeavours to grow and be self-sufficient rather than push it to produce migrants and at times people who can very easily be trapped with terrorist organizations.
Western powers should rather support Ethiopia’s endeavours in its efforts to build green economy by financing its forestation programs and thus contribute to stop climate change. This would in turn contribute to more rain and more water for the rivers that eventually lower riparian countries can benefit from. This is just one pillar of farsighted politics. It is puzzling that countries such as Egypt cannot have such insight to the future and rather limit themselves to creating obstacles and barriers to Ethiopia’s ventures. A developed Ethiopia is an asset to the geopolitical stability of the sub-region and a champion of peace.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is the first chapter of such a long journey and Ethiopians have resolved that nothing will stop them from pursuing it up to the final destination. This was what the Prime Minister underlined a few weeks ago when he appeared in parliament and talked at length on future policies of the government. The unity and development of the country is not subject to any forms of conditions or negotiations, he has reiterated. That is the stance of the country and the people of Ethiopia. This is the time that taboos have been eradicated from Ethiopia.
Obviously, the future may present several challenges and Ethiopians may be asked to pay certain sacrifices in the process inevitably and this could be taken as natural. But they will be up to the task if they keep their eyes open and focused and do not heed detractors, extremist factions who try to create new minor agendas so that Ethiopians do not stand in unison at such critical era of their history. As the premier has repeatedly stressed distractions are not allowed. Ethiopians are advised; the future begins today. As the foreign minister put it, the Nile is not only a river, but also a lake that is ready to serve its people.
The Ethiopian herald August 2,2020
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
