Egypt files complaint with the UN Security Council about Ethiopia’s plan to fill the dam

05/08/2020 Ethiopia, World



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Egypt has submitted a letter of complaint to the UN Security Council protesting Ethiopia’s plan to fill the controversial hydroelectric dam project known as the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Ethiopia will start filling the GERD reservoir in June and July, raising serious concerns for Egypt.

The water fill strategy for the dam has long been the most contentious and still unresolved issue in the Nile talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.

According to the local news agency Ethiopian-Insider, Egypt’s Foreign Minister presented a 15-page letter of complaint to the Security Council through Mohammed Endris, the Egyptian ambassador to the UN.

“Unilateral filling of GERD in Ethiopia before reaching a final agreement with the downstream countries on the rules governing the filling and dam operation is incompatible with the spirit of cooperation between the co-riparian countries that share a watercourse international and constitutes a substantial violation of Ethiopia’s legal obligations. ” Egypt said in the letter of complaint seen by The EastAfrican.

Cairo warned that Ethiopia’s move potentially represents a serious threat to regional peace and security.

The desert nation of North Africa said that the unilateral filling of the dam could cause significant damage to its people who only depend on the water resource of the Nile River.

“This [filling the dam] it would jeopardize water security, food security and indeed the very existence of more than 100 million Egyptians who depend entirely on the Nile River resource for their livelihood “

“The possibility of suffering significant damage to their rights and coastal interests would be completely intolerable for Egypt,” added the Egyptian complaint document.

The document also warns that the water filling strategy should not be initiated through Ethiopia without consulting the downstream countries.

Egypt further said that Ethiopia’s move in 2011 to launch the massive dam project without notifying or consulting downstream countries violated its obligation under international law.

However, Cairo did not say what a violation of international law was like.

Egypt said it has been in serious negotiations with Ethiopia after the latter began construction of the multi-billion dollar power plant project that is being built along the Nile river near the border with Sudan.

In these negotiations, Egypt told the Security Council that “it has exercised considerable flexibility, showed unlimited goodwill and demonstrated genuine political commitment” in an attempt to reach a fair and balanced agreement on the long-running dispute over the use of resources. of the Nile.

Tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt tightened after Ethiopia skipped the last round of talks in Washington on February 26, saying it needed more time for consultations at home.

However, Cairo, which brought the United States and the World Bank to the negotiating table, signed a draft document, indicating that the negotiations had been completed.

After the talks in Washington failed, Addis Ababa and Cairo exchanged accusations for the failure of the negotiations led by the United States.

Later, Cairo accused Ethiopia of “deliberately” hindering the path of negotiations and promised to use all available means to defend the interests of its people.

Ethiopia, for its part, blamed Egypt for the failure of the negotiations.

“Egypt has full responsibility for hindering the negotiations and engaging external parties in the negotiations,” Gedu Andargachew, Ethiopia’s foreign minister, said in late March.

Ethiopia pulled out of talks on what it said was a protest to the United States and the World Bank for overstepping their roles and favoring Cairo’s interest.

Previously, Ethiopian negotiating officials complained that the role of the United States “had gone beyond the role of observer” and accused the United States of pressuring Ethiopia to sign the agreement.

In part of the document attached to the Security Council, Egypt argues that “this agreement is beneficial to all parties, contains a fair formula and is equally important to the interests of the three countries” and asked Ethiopia to sign the agreement.

Ethiopian officials were not immediately available for comment on Egypt’s latest complaint to the UN executive body.

However, speaking to Ethiopia-Insider, the acting spokesperson for the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Amsalu Tiezzazu, played down the Cairo complaints by saying “This is an unfounded accusation”