In a highly critical statement the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy has accused Egypt of intensifying “its hostile rhetoric against Ethiopia over the Nile River and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam/GERD.”
On Sunday, President El-Sisi said in a recorded address to the opening session of Cairo Water Week (eighth edition) that Egypt would not stand idly by “in the face of the irresponsible approach Ethiopia is pursuing regarding the Nile River,” and would take all measures to protect its interests and water security.
In response, the Ethiopian government stated that it has managed the project “with full transparency” and provided “regular technical data on filling and operation stages to Egypt and Sudan,” whether through African Union mechanisms or direct diplomatic channels.
El-Sisi added that over 14 years of “arduous negotiations” with the Ethiopian side, Cairo had faced obstinacy that could only be explained by the absence of political will, a drive to impose a “fait accompli,” along with false claims of exclusive sovereignty over the Nile. He said the established truth is that the Nile is a joint property of all riparian states and a collective resource that no one monopolizes.
In the ministry’s statement, Ethiopia affirmed its sovereign right to use its water resources, stressing, “Genuine solidarity requires acknowledging the right of all nations and peoples to development. This, in turn, requires recognizing the legitimate right of all riparian countries to utilize the Nile fairly and equitably as a shared resource.”
It noted that Ethiopia is “the source of 85 percent of the Nile River’s waters,” and that, “for decades, Ethiopia and other Nile riparian countries have engaged with Egypt in the search for a transboundary cooperation rooted in international law. Egypt has never negotiated in good faith.”
In October 2024, El-Sisi had reiterated that preserving the Nile is a matter of existence, not choice. And in March 2024, Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation admitted that the dam had already harmed Egypt, but said the state had managed the damage “at a cost.” He stressed that under the Declaration of Principles, any damage caused by the GERD must be compensated—and Egypt will demand that compensation.
“The only rational option is for Egypt to deal with other riparian countries on equal terms, in good faith, eschewing the threats, insults, and acts of subversion that have come to characterize the Egyptian approach to dealing with upper riparian countries,” according to the Ethiopian ministry's statement.
In a swipe at the Egyptian approach to GERD, the statement said that Cairo's “colonial-era mindset has led to the pursuit of a failed and misguided policy of undermining Ethiopia instead of nurturing collaboration.”
In December 2023, Egypt announced the collapse of negotiations, and that it reserved its right under international treaties to protect its water and national security.
In response, Ethiopia affirmed its readiness to engage in “serious and responsible negotiations” to enhance cooperation and build trust among Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia “without imposing preconditions,” provided any talks are based on “the principles of equitable and reasonable use of water,” while warning against “rhetoric that seeks to portray Ethiopian development as a threat to others.”
Despite the critical tone of the statement, it concluded by stressing that Ethiopia “continues to choose diplomatic means and friendly relations with Egypt and has never initiated diplomatic spats or issued unwarranted bellicose statements.”
On Sept. 9, Addis Ababa inaugurated GERD on the Blue Nile without reaching a binding agreement with Egypt and Sudan on filling and operation rules, prompting Cairo to address the UN Security Council over the completion of filling and operation of the dam, which it described as “a violation of international law.”
