The other country that is showing disagreement with Ethiopia recently reversing its previous position in Sudan. Sudan is not a bigger problem on the dispute of the Nile waters, there is some squabble in border issues with Ethiopia, and pressure from Egypt and the Arab league, perhaps from the United States forced Sudan to retreat from its previous position on the dam issue. If Egypt and Ethiopia resolve the issue peacefully, Sudan’s concern will be resolved. If Sudan persists, it is not in their best interest, only cooperation and understanding can bring a win-win outcome. Let alone the warmongering, even entertaining the idea is not in the best interest of all the parties involved. The only way to move forward is to cooperate and solve the issue without the involvement of other outside forces that want to accomplish their goals than helping these nations reach an agreement. A peaceful outcome and strict restraint from the use of force and coercion is in the best interest of all the parties involved.
The internal political tensions and deep ethnic divisions between opposition parties to grab power in the most anticipated upcoming Ethiopian elections (now delayed because of COVID-19) will not help Ethiopia if there is a threat from outside forces. Some opposition figures who are fighting for power grab are willing to put their interest before their people which is unethical and dangerous. It also makes them susceptible to Egyptian exploitation to reach their political ambition. Ethiopians like Egyptians should unite in their national interest putting all other differences for another time. Otherwise, enemies will take advantage of domestic division and capitalize on that to the detriment of Ethiopians. The recent murder of famous Oromo musician is quintessential for those foreign forces that want to stoke domestic divisions. Although there is no evidence of the Egyptians involvement to that specific murder, social media and bots of Egyptians has exploded in the aftermath. Ethiopia has lost many opportunities because of senseless ethnic violence and the country is still ravaged in extreme poverty. To come out of that Ethiopians does not need to play in the hands of the enemy.
For Egypt, mutual understanding is vital to come out of the looming crisis peacefully, and both Egypt and Ethiopia should put their pride and ego aside to negotiate on reasonable terms. There is no winner if war breaks out, the winners will always be the global powers who love to exploit the developing world’s weaknesses. The region has already seen enough killings and loss of many innocent lives. The only way forward for Egypt is to understand that Ethiopians just like Egyptians deserve a better life in the twenty-first century. None of this means, all Egyptians are well off today or the dam completion will make all Ethiopians prosper. The completion of the project is a leap forward for Ethiopia and its ambition to come out of extreme poverty. There must be an understanding that Ethiopia’s achievement on this will be an achievement for Egypt and a learning experience.
The blessed Nile water must be a path that connects these two great civilizations and people to find a way to overcome the hardships of their people. Ethiopia and Egypt’s proximity to failed states should give them a clear vision of what war does to people and it has never been a solution. The two great civilizations that the world has ever seen do not need western interference in African politics, both nations are more than capable of solving this issue putting the interest of both people first. Neither of the two countries wants to see the suffering of their people, thus first putting the interest of the people will help solve the issue not lead them to conflict. Egypt instead of running to the Trump administration who does not have any regard for international relations it should have brought the issue to the regional African Union. The resumption of talk is important and should continue but making conflicting statements here and thereby the Egyptians are not helping.
Lastly, Africans always complain about the condescending attitude by the west. Though the question must be, how can we demand respect when we cannot even solve our regional issues without the involvement of the west? The west hardly invites Africans to mediate into their dispute with other nations. Understandably, the Egyptians life is dependent on the Nile River, where 95 per cent of the population lives by the Nile delta. However, Ethiopia is also in a dire situation with rising population growth and unemployment of the youth that has become so disillusioned to try the dangerous route to Europe. As Egypt has a right to utilize the Nile river within its territory, Ethiopia has the right to utilize its water for its development and transformational growth. Ethiopia has suffered from internal conflicts and natural disasters for a very long time and now is the time for Ethiopia to sacrifice what is needed to be sacrificed and finish this project and many other projects that could be inherited to the next generation to move forward towards prosperity and harmonious life.
Notes
[1]. Tekuya, “Colonial-Era Treaties Are to Blame,” The Conversation, April 1, 2020.
[2]. Walsh D, Sengupta S, and Boushnak L, “For Thousands of Years, Egypt Controlled the Nile.” The New York Times (The New York Times, February 9, 2020).
[3]. Ibid
[4]. Stack, “With Cameras Rolling,” The New York Times (The New York Times, June 6, 2013).
[5]. “Nile Basin Initiative,” International Yearbook and Statesmen’s Who’s Who, 2019.
[6]. Tekuya, “Colonial-Era Treaties Are to Blame,” The Conversation, April 1, 2020.
[7]. Kimenyi M.S., and Mbaku J. M, “Governing the Nile River Basin,” (Brookings, July 29, 2016),
[8]. Ibid
[9]. “Nile Basin Initiative,” International Yearbook and Statesmen’s Who’s Who, 2019.
[10]. Mbaku J. et. al., “Turbulence in the Nile,” Brookings (Brookings, July 29, 2016).
[11]. Ibid.
[12] “World Development Indicators,” DataBank (World Bank, 2020).
[13]. El-Nashar W. and Elyamany A, “Managing Risks of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on Egypt,” (2018): pp. 2383-2388.
[14]. Al Jazeera, “Sudan Says Talks on Ethiopia’s Nile Dam Did Not Produce Deal,” Ethiopia News | Al Jazeera (Al Jazeera, June 18, 2020).
[15]. Mbaku J., et. al, “Turbulence in the Nile,” Brookings (Brookings, July 29, 2016).
[16]. Ahram Online “’Ethiopia Will Not Do Anything,‘ Ethiopian PM Ahmed Tells President Sisi – Politics – Egypt,” Ahram Online (Ahram Online, June 10, 2018)
[17]. “World Population Prospects,” UN instance (United Nations, 2019).
[18]. Lashitew, “The United States Must Not Pick Sides,” (Foreign Policy, March 14, 2020).
[19]. Addisu Lashitew, “Why Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan Should Ditch,” (Brookings, February 19, 2020).
[20]. Ibid
[21]. Levingston and Fred, “Sudanese Leader Backs Recognizing Israel,” (Bloomberg, February 3, 2020),
[22]. Rashid, “Egypt, the Renaissance Dam and the UN Security Council,” Middle East Monitor, June 23, 2020.
[23]. “2020 Military Strength Ranking,” Global Firepower, (Global Firepower, 2020).
[24]. Deutsche Welle, “Ethiopia to Fill Contested Dam,” (Deutsche Welle, 2020).
[25]. Naguib Sawiris, “We Will Never Allow,” (Twitter, June 12, 2020),
[26]. Associated Press, “AP Interview: Ethiopia to Fill Disputed Dam, ” (Associated Press, June 20, 2020),
[27]. Ibid
[28]. Nsc, “257 Million People in East #Africa ,” (Twitter, June 17, 2020).
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