Egypt and Saudi arabia in conflict with Ethiopia on the Nile Dam

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia in row over Nile River dam project

Mohammed Awad Posted date: March 09, 2013 In: East Africa, Egypt, Environment, Gulf, Latest News | comment : 8

Ethiopia's dam project has seen widespread criticism from Egypt, Sudan and now Saudi Arabia.

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia has demanded that Saudi Arabia explain itself after a minister attacked the country over its massive Renaissance Nile River dam project, saying that the water rights of Sudan and Egypt would be threatened with its completion.

 

“The Renaissance dam has its capacity of flood waters reaching more than 70 billion cubic meters of water, and is located at an altitude of 700 meters and if it collapsed then Khartoum will drown completely and the impact will even reach the Aswan Dam,” the Saudi Deputy Defense Minister, Khalid Bin Sultan said at the meetings of the Arab Water Council in Cairo last week.

 

The $4.8 billion Renaissance Dam is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2015.

 

The Saudi official further accused Ethiopia of being keen on harming Arab nations.

 

“There are fingers messing with water resources of Sudan and Egypt, which are rooted in the mind and body of Ethiopia. They do not forsake an opportunity to harm Arabs without taking advantage of it,” Prince Khalid said.

 

“The establishment of the dam leads to the transfer of water supply from the front of Lake Nasser to the Ethiopian plateau, which means full Ethiopian control of every drop of water, as well as [causing] an environmental imbalance stirring seismic activity in the region as a result of the massive water weight laden with silt withheld in front of the dam, estimated by experts at more than 63 billion tonnes,” he added.

 

Ethiopian foreign affairs ministry spokesperson, Ambassador Dina Mufti said the accusation was “unexpected and shocking.”

 

The dam project has seen widespread concerns from Egypt and Sudan, who have echoed the Saudi official’s sentiments over the project, which they see as an infringement on their historical rights to Nile water.

 

The dam could threaten the regional stability after the Egyptian government said it remained “concerned” over Ethiopia’s actions along the Nile River.

 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also called on Addis Ababa to push the dam project to the backburner in order to focus on other economic initiatives.

 

While Cairo has denied any intention of attacking the dam, as reported by whistleblower website Wikileaks, the country’s Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Bahaa el-Din said last month that his country was maintaining its concerns about the construction of the Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia.

 

He did say that officials at the Ethiopia foreign ministry “assured Egypt and Sudan that in case there was any impact on their water quota to the dam, other projects will be carried out to collect lost water and cover shortages.”

 

It is the latest in the ongoing battle for the world’s largest river’s water, with Egypt and Sudan continuing to remain obstinate in amending any of the colonial treaties that guarantee their countries with a lion’s share of water from the Nile.

 

Wikileaks released documents this month that revealed Egypt and Sudan had been planning to attack an Ethiopian dam project to “protect” their rights over Nile water based on colonial era treaties.

 

In documents revealed by Wikileaks, the Egyptian and Sudanese government appeared ready to develop a launching pad for an attack by Egypt against the dam.

 

Wikileaks has leaked files allegedly from the Texas-based global intelligence company, Stratfor, which quote an anonymous “high-level Egyptian source,” which reported that the Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon said in 2010 that Egypt “would do anything to prevent the secession of South Sudan because of the political implications it will have for Egypt’s access to the Nile.”

 

Ethiopia’s massive dam project has seen much concern from Cairo and Khartoum, who fear the establishment of Africa’s largest dam would affect previous colonial deals on Nile water-sharing.

 

It is to be built some 40 kilometers upstream from Sudan on the Blue Nile.

 

But even before the official announcement of Ethiopia’s prime minister’s passing on August 20, Egyptian officials told Bikyanews.com that they believed a post-Meles region could bring forth new negotiations and compromise over Nile water.

 

An Egyptian ministry of water and irrigation told Bikyanews.com last year, two weeks before Zenawi was pronounced dead, that with the combination of Egypt’s new President Morsi and the potential of seeing a new leader in Ethiopia, they hoped the tension over Nile River water could be resolved.

 

“While this can in no way be official policy at this point, I believe that there would be more maneuvering with a new leadership in Ethiopia because there would be the ability to communicate and not be seen as antagonistic,” the official said, adding that they were not authorized to speak to the media.

 

“Let us be frank about the situation between Egypt and other Nile countries,” the official continued. “We in Egypt have not been the best at compromise so I think overall, there is so much that can be done to help bring countries together, and Ethiopia has been a leader in its criticism of Egypt so starting there would be good.”

 

With the Nile comes a new set of issues, and with Egypt holding onto a lion’s share of water from the world’s largest river, upstream countries such as Ethiopia have taken it on their own to begin building dams and other water related endeavors, much to the anger of Cairo.

 

However, officials hope that solutions can be had in the new post-revolution Egypt that could see the growing tension between countries along the Nile reduce.

 

“While Egypt never wants to mingle in another country’s affairs, a new leadership in Ethiopia would go a long way to changing how things are run, just like it has in Egypt,” the official added.

 

BN

[GaraadMon]

Don't they understand that in the long run it actually benefits everyone? In the long wrong it will negate the effects of droughts and floods. It also happens to be the most optimal location for such a large reservoir as it is located at a rather high altitude, where the temperatures are rather cool.

 

The reaction by the Arabs, IMF and UN is rather telling. Especially in the wake of the recent famine.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

The saudis will drop just a few bombs and gone is the Dam, i think it will never escalate in an all out war

[oba hiloowlow]

inshallah there will be a war

[Che -Guevara]

oba hiloowlow;925556 wrote:

inshallah there will be a war

I guess you have never spent a day in war-zone.

 

No more wars in the Horn!

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

^ Why are you wishing for war Waryaa

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Che -Guevara;925557 wrote:

I guess you have never spent a day in war-zone.

 

No more wars in the Horn!

He thinks its rainbowsix video game

[oba hiloowlow]

look at these fools if ethiopia goes to war with saudi arabia and egypt, ONLF,ginbot 7 and them other rebell groups can take advantage of it.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

No one can take advantage of a war, first you have to calculate that wars don't last long ,so what ever gains they will make , it will not last for long an all out war means having millions of refugee's in neighboring Kenya Somalia Somaliland djibouti Eritrea. War is not a game it has severe consequences for every one.

[oba hiloowlow]

Xaaji Xunjuf;925564 wrote:

No one can take advantage of a war, first you have to calculate that wars don't last long ,so what ever gains they will make , it will not last for long an all out war means having millions of refugee's in neighboring Kenya Somalia Somaliland djibouti Eritrea. War is not a game it has sever consequences for every one.

And this dude claims to be from gaashamo or whatever

 

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

oba hiloowlow;925567 wrote:

And this dude claims to be from gaashamo or whatever

 

When did i say i was from gaashaamo loool

 

Waryaa war is not in the interests of any one

[oba hiloowlow]

Xaaji Xunjuf;925570 wrote:

When did i say i was from gaashaamo loool

 

Waryaa war is not in the interests of any one

maybe u didn't lol.

 

war is a interest for our somali folks under oppression ya xaaji

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Apophis;925568 wrote:

What are you, simple? The Eritreans fully benefited from the war launched by Somalia in '77 and if it weren't for the Soviets changing sides, they would have freed their country then and there. But this is all moot, I doubt there'll be full-scale war.

They didn't benefit at all they attacked massawa but couldn't hold it the EPLF just lost more men in that war for massawa the derg fully crushed the EPLF in that war, they miscalculated , the same way no Somali will benefit from a war not those in Ethiopia and certainly not the others in the Somali peninsula . If war happened the entire oromo population will flee towards the Somali region and try to reach the awash river. The only way for the ONLF to succeed is if its united and if its effective on the ground and if all Somalis in the region support the ONLF and if they get support from other Somalis in the future those in Somalia and Somaliland Djibouti. But they will not benefit from a war between Ethiopia and Egypt. And the times the Somali republic claimed the Somali galbeed region as a region under occupation is long over. The only way the Somali galbeed region can be free if it fights for self determination under the notion of the oppressed ethiopian people.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

oba hiloowlow;925574 wrote:

maybe u didn't lol.

 

war is a interest for our somali folks under oppression ya xaaji

Are you going to fight along side them? , are you going to allow so many refugees in Somalia including the oromos who will also flee towards Somalia, this is not the way you fight oppression.

[oba hiloowlow]

Xaaji Xunjuf;925585 wrote:

Are you going to fight along side them? , are you going to allow so many refugees in Somalia including the oromos who will also flee towards Somalia, this is not the way you fight oppression.

I would fight for Somali galbeed saaxiib my uncles did it in the 70s maantana aniga baa diyaar uu ah. Xaaji whats your solution lets give up on somali galbeed?