Between Ethiopia and Egypt nothing is going well anymore. “Egypt has intensified its destabilization efforts against Ethiopia and the volatile Horn of Africa region. These statements were made by a senior Ethiopian ministry official who preferred to remain anonymous during these confidences to the Anadolu agency.
According to him, the multiple internal and external security challenges faced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since taking office in 2018 are instigated by the Egypt of Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi who, by “giving its full support to the anti-peace elite” seeks to undermine the political, social and economic reform program led by the Ethiopian government.
It should be recalled that the mega hydroelectric dam that Ethiopia is building is angering Sudan and Egypt and negotiations to reach a consensus on the pace of filling the dam are still at a standstill.
Cairo would try through these destabilizations to bring about a change of regime or the bankruptcy of the Ethiopian state. One way to thwart the ambition of the neighbors to use the resources of the Nile.
With a height of 145 meters and a capacity of 74 billion cubic meters of water, the great dam of the GERD renaissance that Ethiopia is building is set to become the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa. Addis Ababa considers this project legitimate and essential to its economic development. The two countries, downstream, are making their disagreements heard. Sudan and Egypt highlight the fear that this dam could restrict their water resources (Egypt depends on the Nile for more than 90% of its water needs). Khartoum and Cairo also refer to their historical rights, while Addis Ababa advocates equal rights for all countries in the Nile basin. Negotiations between the three capitals are not progressing, but don’t the technical issues related to the filling of the dam mask more important geopolitical motivations?
Ethiopia continues the construction of the dam, which is now 78% complete. The government of Abiy Ahmed is still waiting to reach an agreement with Egypt and Sudan to finalize its operation while the first electricity production should begin between January and February 2021.
