Egypt and Sudan have called on Ethiopia to come back to the table in hopes of creating a legal agreement that coincides with international law; Ethiopia has rejected their offer, leaving both Egypt and Sudan further concerned over their nation’s respective water supplies.
Pressure (no pun intended) continues to mount regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as Ethiopia has rejected a recent proposal from Egypt and Sudan that would result in a legally-binding agreement that would coincide with international law. The concerns of both Egypt and Sudan relate to their fears of drought and famine, especially because the two countries are already in a dangerous position regarding their water supply.
It is reported that Egypt almost completely relies on the Blue Nile River for its water. Both Egypt and Sudan have even requested that an agreement be formed that would allow Ethiopia to move forward with their power-generating goals without harming the water supply of their neighbors. Ethiopia is hoping to produce 6,000 megawatts at the completion of the $4.8 billion project.
Though Sudan has been accused of taking a more apathetic or ‘neutral’ stance throughout this feud, they’ve been siding with Egypt in recent weeks.
Should Ethiopia continue their course, assuming the dam takes ten years to fill, reports estimate that it would reduce Egypt’s water intake by 14%. Other experts have even said that if Ethiopia managed to fill the dam in five years, Egypt could lose up to 50%. This would devastate their farming land.
There is now less than ten days before Ethiopia begins filling the dam, which is causing pressure to rise even further on all sides regarding a diplomatic, international agreement.
