Ethiopia nears completion of Renaissance Dam, while Egypt warns of harm to stability

According to Al Jazeera, Faqrati Tamru, the Ethiopian Vice-Chair of the Renaissance Dam Coordinating Council, announced on Friday that 90% of the construction of the Renaissance Dam had been completed, despite facing challenges, diplomatic pressures, and an internal war. Meanwhile, Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Dr. Hani Sewilam, expressed concern that continued unilateral measures to operate the dam could harm Egypt’s social and economic stability.

Dr. Sewilam spoke at the United Nations (UN)’s Mid-Term Comprehensive Review conference in New York, emphasizing the importance of effective cooperation in managing shared water resources, especially since nearly 40% of the world’s population lives in common river and lake basins. He stressed Egypt’s commitment to joint cooperation and fair use of the Nile River’s shared water.

Dr. Sewilam criticized Ethiopia’s unilateral and non-cooperative measures in constructing and operating the dam without conducting required social, economic, and environmental impact studies. He warned that continued unilateral measures, coinciding with a prolonged drought, could force over 1.10 million people to leave their jobs and destroy a significant portion of cultivated land in Egypt.

In response to Dr. Sewilam’s statements, Ethiopia accused Egypt of violating the UN Charter and the Constitutive Act of the African Union. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry had previously stated that all options remained available to Egypt, including its capabilities, foreign relations, and resources. This statement came as Ethiopia prepared for the fourth filling of the dam’s reservoir without reaching an agreement with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan.