Over the last 13 years, along with the construction of the dam, which is not having a significant impact, Ethiopia has made the utmost efforts to conduct negotiations based on fair use of water with the downstream countries.
Although the Abbay River is a great asset for Ethiopia, the people have been suffering from shortages of electricity in the past. In order to permanently resolve this problem, the construction of the Nile Dam is underway, and now it is on the finishing line. Without priding by contributing over 86 percent of the water share to the Nile River, Ethiopia is also making great efforts to peacefully negotiate with the downstream countries based on fair utilization of the waters.
For centuries, Abbay, one of the great rivers of Ethiopia, was not used for the benefit of the country, causing frustration among the people. Even though there is a desire to hord the course of water and make use of the river for local use, the political and economic situation of the country does not allow it to do so.
When the construction of the Nile Dam started 13 years ago, the people who were depressed about the Abbay River contributed with their initiative and determination to bring the dam to its current level. The people of Ethiopia are contributing to the dam regardless of their ethnicity, religion, gender, and level of income.
Over the past 13 years, the government of Ethiopia has been making relentless efforts for negotiations based on fair use among the Nile basin countries, besides building the dam. As the dam is built on a transboundary river, extensive discussions and negotiations were held with the downstream countries.
So far, Ethiopia has been discussing the position of fair use of water in the negotiations. However, countries that use the Nile water, devising their own share, such as Egypt and Sudan, were arguing with the extreme idea that only we should use it. The position of these countries is against the international principle of fair utilization of waters.
During the negotiations, Ethiopia has done a great job in informing that the dam will not harm downstream countries and has full rights to use the water as the sourcing country for the river. The negotiations had gone through many conditions. Ethiopia has reached the final construction stage of the GERD without stopping the negotiations.
Next, the GERD should be used properly. It is necessary to generate an income by selling the electricity produced from the dam to neighboring countries for domestic consumption. If there is a demand for electricity on the Egyptian side, the door of Ethiopia remains open. It is good to strengthen the existing economic ties for mutual benefit.
Since November 2019, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt have held dozens of trilateral talks on the filling of the reservoir and the operation of the dam, which were supported and attended by the US and the World Bank as “observers.”
As they are sticking to the 1929 and 1959 colonial treaties, Egypt and Sudan have not agreed with Ethiopia on an equitable Nile water share yet. Upstream states believe a new agreement must replace the colonial treaties, whereas Egypt insists that any agreement must recognize the colonial treaties and those they continue to be binding. On the other hand, Ethiopia asserts that there is no legal ground to stop Addis Ababa from equitably using the Nile waters.
Even though Ethiopia did not get any development assistance from the international financial institutions to make the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, thanks to the generous support of all Ethiopians, the project is now on the verge of realization.
The point that anyone should underline is that every country has the legal right to use its own resources for the benefit of the people at large. Ethiopia is a source of the Abbay River, so nobody has a right to prohibit Ethiopia from developing the resource at hand and ensuring the benefit of its people.
Now, as the GERD is already made possible, the agenda we further need to talk about is the equitable utilization of Nile waters. For this reason, Ethiopia’s door is remained open as always. Finally I would like to thank you our envious as you made us strong and sharp to do the better for our country!
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
The Ethiopian Herald April 7/2024
