Egypt said on Saturday it would use “all means available” to protect the interests of its people, a thinly veiled warning to Ethiopia after the Horn of Africa nation refused to sign an agreement drafted by the US government to regulate the operation of a giant hydroelectric dam it is building on the Nile and the filling of a reservoir behind it.
Egypt, the most populous Arab nation with 100 million people, depends on the Nile for more than 90 percent of its water needs. It has maintained throughout years of negotiations that while it appreciated the dam’s importance to Ethiopia’s development, it was seeking an agreement that reduced to manageable levels the impact of a reduced share of the river’s water on its economy and food security.
To Addis Ababa, the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has become a symbol of national pride and a centerpiece in its development and ambition to become Africa’s largest power exporter, a feat that would match its growing political and diplomatic leverage in the region. read more
