Egypt and Sudan have called an Ethiopian dam built by Addis Ababa on the Nile River a "threat" to the two countries.
This came in a joint statement on Wednesday issued following talks in Cairo between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Irrigation Minister Hani Sweilam and a Sudanese delegation led by State Minister of Foreign Affairs Omar Sediq.
"The consultations addressed developments regarding the Ethiopian dam, and both parties agreed that the Ethiopian dam, which violates international law, has serious consequences for the downstream countries and represents a continuous threat to stability in the Eastern Nile Basin under international law," the statement said.
According to Sudanese media, the two countries called on Ethiopia to change its policy and restore regional cooperation.
The statement came one day after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed affirmed his country’s desire to work with Egypt and Sudan on the Ethiopian Dam, stressing that now that the dam is complete, it ensures a steady flow of water throughout the year to the two downstream countries, prevents floods and has not caused them any harm.
It also comes amid disputes between Egypt and Sudan on one side, and Ethiopia on the other, about the filling and operation of the dam, construction of which began in 2011. Cairo and Khartoum insist on reaching a binding trilateral legal agreement on its filling and operation.
Ethiopia, however, maintains that no such agreement is necessary, reiterating that it does not intend to harm the interests of any country. The dispute led to a three-year suspension of negotiations before talks resumed in 2023, only to stall in 2024.
Climate crisis and political instability
The Nile River, which runs for 6,650 kilometres, is shared by 11 countries: Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt.
Egypt is facing a severe water scarcity crisis, driven by multiple factors, chief among them the climate crisis. More than 90 percent of its water comes from the Nile River.
Sudan, to a lesser degree, is also facing a water crisis, mainly due to political instability.
Both Egypt and Sudan are the last downstream countries and are Lower Nile Basin countries, receiving relatively low rainfall levels compared to Upper Nile Basin states.
Ethiopia argues that it needs the dam for energy self-sufficiency and economic growth.
