Egypt Warns Ethiopia Against Controlling Nile Flow

By Staff, Agencies

Egypt has warned against any Ethiopian efforts to control the flow of the Nile River or construct additional dams that could affect downstream states, stressing that it "will not accept or allow any party to control water flows to Egypt and Sudan."

According to Egypt's official state news agency, a senior Egyptian official said Sunday that remarks attributed to Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy Habtamu Itefa about plans to build additional dams on the Nile and control its flow represented a continuation of Ethiopia's "unilateral approach" and a violation of international law.

The Egyptian official described any declared intention to control the flow of a shared international river as a "highly dangerous direction," arguing that the issue went beyond development and amounted to an attempt to impose a fait accompli on downstream states and exploit geographical position to control a shared water resource.

He stressed that the Nile does not belong to any single country and that its waters are governed by international legal rules regulating shared rivers. He also affirmed that Egypt has multiple means at its disposal to defend its water interests.

The Egyptian position follows remarks by Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam on August 4, when he rejected the construction of new Ethiopian dams along the Nile if they could affect Egypt's water rights.