Egypt says it needs to double its share of Nile water — The National
In Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that the country needs not only to preserve but also to double its share of Nile water amid rising tensions with Ethiopia. He said this at a meeting chaired by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and attended by the military command, The National reports.
Abdelatty noted that Egypt is experiencing water scarcity. According to the publication, the country receives more than 98% of its freshwater from the Nile. Its annual share amounts to 55.5 billion cubic meters, while Water Resources Minister Hani Sewilam said this month that the state needs about 123 billion cubic meters.
Cairo's position on dams
President el-Sisi said that Egypt leaves room for diplomacy and peaceful solutions regarding Ethiopian dams, but will not agree to steps that, in his words, would come at the expense of the country's existence and its population. He also linked the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam to instability in Egypt in 2011–2013 and the absence of state control during that period.
Egypt's foreign minister said that Cairo will not accept the construction of new dams or a repeat of the situation involving the existing Ethiopian dam. In August, Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy Habtamu Itefa confirmed plans to build three more dams on the Blue Nile.
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Mutual accusations and fighting in northern Ethiopia
The Egyptian minister's statements came after Ethiopian army commander-in-chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula accused Egypt, Sudan and other external forces of supporting rebels in the north of the country. He provided no evidence for his claims. The next day, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nader Zaki said that Cairo respects the sovereignty of other states and does not interfere in their affairs. The Sudanese army called the accusations unfounded, while Eritrea said that Ethiopia was shifting responsibility.
Tensions have also intensified due to fighting in northern Ethiopia. On September 21, seven armed groups, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Fano militia from the Amhara region, formed an alliance to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. According to The National, TPLF fighters seized airports in Tigray and advanced toward the Afar and Amhara regions, while the fighting has effectively destroyed the peace agreement concluded in Pretoria in 2022.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said at the UN General Assembly last week that the Nile is a matter of the country's existence and does not allow for compromise.
