Egypt Forced to Negotiate on Nile Dam. Still, Egypt may be playing with fire if it were to press the legal significance of the DoP. The Washington Quarterly, 37(2), 25-37. Nile negotiations break down as Egypt, Sudan accuse Ethiopia of rejecting legally binding agreement. The United States is Committed to Egypt's Water Security and Advancing Indeed, as Tekuya notes, Ethiopia persistently objected to the 1929 and 1959 treaties and made clear that its failure to exploit the Nile resulted from a lack of capacity rather than a lack of a legal right to do so. The withdrawal from the project by Deltares has been met by a wave of objections in Egypt for fear . Indeed, Egypt has called the filling of the dam an. These hydraulic mega-projects underscore the ambitious local and regional political aims of the Ethiopian ruling elites. Such a mitigation program can make it much easier for Egyptian and Sudanese authorities to cooperate with Ethiopia and the other riparians in creating and adopting an agreement for management of the Nile. Whittington, D. et al. Improved relations among Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Sudanese can go a long way in enhancing the ability of their leaders to negotiate and adopt agreements that reflect the interests of citizens, especially regarding economic development and poverty alleviation. Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam. Another important area of cooperation is research, especially in areas like climate change, the fight against terrorism and extremism, and human rights. While such dams also come with long-term benefits to local populations, the chief beneficiary will always be the state, which reaps profits from the sale of surplus electricity. Political instability in Egypt played an important role as the announcement of the project coincided with the resignation of President Mubarak during the Arab Spring. Ethiopia could argue that those imperial powers did not foresee the decolonisation of Africa and that this represented a watershed event that profoundly changed the foundation on which the Nile Water Treaties were constructed. Alaa al-Zawahiri, a member of the Egyptian National Panel of Experts studying the effects of the Renaissance Dam, believes as much. Addis Ababa launched the construction of the GERD under Zenawi, and work on it has proceeded at full steam ahead ever since. Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in Africa, has the second largest population in the continent. As noted above, the instrument concedes for the first time that Ethiopia has legitimate interests over the Nile. Workers move iron girders from a crane at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba, Ethiopia, on Dec. 26, 2019. While the water will return to its normal state before reaching Egypt, the damage to these populations will be permanent. The final touches to these plans were added in 2005 and 2007, and one involves nine hydroelectric dams along the Gebale Dawa to produce some 1,300 MW of electricity for export. Addis Ababa has said the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a $4bn hydropower project, is crucial to its economic development and to provide power. Ethiopia also seems to have the political upper hand given that the Dam is effectively a fait accompli and given that Egypts erstwhile downstream ally, Sudan, switched sides in the dispute leaving the Egyptians diplomatically isolated. The crucial leverage regarding Egypts water security lies with the Blue Nile countries Ethiopia and Sudan, as the Blue Nile is the main contributor to the Nile Rivers flow downstream. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Africa's Water Tower A Grand New Dam on the Nile: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a 6000 MW hydropower project on the Blue Nile, which the Ethiopian government plans to build to fulfill the country's energy needs. For more on the background and history of these important relationships, see my book with former AGI Director Mwangi S. Kimenyi, Governing the Nile River Basin: The Search for a New Legal Regime., not be filled without a legally binding agreement, when the flow of Nile water to the dam falls below 35-40 b.c.m. This antipathy is not new, with Munzinger noting even in the nineteenth century that Ethiopia is a danger for Egypt [which] must either take over Ethiopia and Islamize it or, retain it in anarchy and misery. Still, the Dam brings the old enmity into sharp focus. Search for jobs related to Disadvantages of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 20m+ jobs. First, Ethiopia could highlight that it was not a party to either the 1929 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty or the 1959 Egypt-Sudan Treaty. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Fact Sheet Ethiopia has the basins most suitable locations for hydropower production, and its damming of the Blue Nile would significantly increase Sudan's potential for irrigated agriculture. Learn. Salman, S.M.A. Sudan is caught between the competing interests of Egypt and Ethiopia. What could have been strictly technical negotiations have turned into a political deadlock. This is an intergovernmental partnership to provide a forum for consultation and coordination for the sustainable management and development of shared water. The Zenawi concept of a Strong Ethiopia envisions the country as a powerful hydroelectric energy hub exporting electricity to Djibouti and Somalia in the east, Kenya and Uganda to the south, and Sudan to the west. The Grand Renaissance Dam - Ethiopia's greatest risk Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing AG, 79-110. Despite the intense disagreements, though, Ethiopia continues to move forward with the dam, arguing that the hydroelectric project will significantly improve livelihoods in the region more broadly. The Chinese then took over the funding amidst heightened international concern regarding the social, technical, and environmental repercussions of the Ethiopian dams. In the modern era, the US used water to blackmail Egypt. The disadvantages for Egypt and Sudan are the possibility of reduced river flow, although this is only really a problem during the years of filling the dam. 497 Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images Elliot Winter is a lecturer (assistant professor) in international law at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom. But with a generation capacity of 6.45GW, the Ethiopian government quoted the project as vital to the country's economic growth. Given the advancement of the dam construction - the GERD being, as of March 2015, 40% complete, according to Ethiopia - Egypt had good reason to reconsider its position (RANE, 2015). Similarly, in 2018, the UNSC noted the water security risks in African nations such as Somalia, Sudan and Mali. Egyptian players abroad: Mostafa Mohamed's Nantes defeated at PSG, Trezeguet.. Italy Serie A results & fixtures (25th matchday), Egypts Prosecution investigates Hoggpool, Six European nations express concern over growing violence in Palestinian territories, Egyptian Premier League fixtures (21st matchday), US official says Biden expected to tighten rules on US investment in China. Environmental Impacts Of Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam On The The results indicated that the negative impacts on Egyptian water resources are dominant. Created by. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a powerful generation linchpin Another difficulty for Egypt is that making this argument (i.e. Another argument Egypt might adduce concerns the DoP. This is a matter of acute concern given that Egypt depends on the Nile for about 97% of its irrigation and drinking water. With regard to the mega-dams, the Gilgel Gibe III Dam and the GERD speak volumes on the substance of Zenawis political ideology. The decisions that this group renders must be binding on all riparian states. The disadvantages for Egypt and Sudan are the possibility of reduced river flow, although this is only really a problem during the years of filling the dam. The multi-services provided by the hydropower development and its technical advantages could be driving forces for local, regional and national development, and a catalyst for sustainable development. The Grand Renaissance Dam and prospects for cooperation on the Eastern Nile. This is good news for Egypt and Sudan as hydropower means little actual water withdrawal. Ethiopia, however, prefers to have the flexibility to make decisions on how to deal with droughts. In response, Ethiopia threatened military force to defend the dam and protect its interests (The New Arab, 2020a). Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam | International Rivers This article considers water security in the context of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (the Dam). Egypt relies on the river for as much as 90 percent of its freshwater and sees the new dam as an existential . The grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam (eg) - SlideShare The Friends of Lake Turkana, an NGO representing indigenous groups whose livelihoods are dependent on the Lake, filed a suit to halt the construction of the dam. This represents a new challenge to the basins current hydro-political regime and status quo, as it may drive Sudans interest in renegotiating its current quota(Link et al., 2012;Whittington et al., 2014). The piece (i) gives a brief history of the Dam; (ii) outlines the role of the Watercourses Convention; (iii) explains the significance of the Nile Waters Treaties; (iv) sets out the main legal arguments for Egypt and (v) provides the main legal arguments for Ethiopia. Moreover, with GERD, Ethiopia opts for a hydropower expansion strategy on the Blue Nile, and not an irrigation strategy. African Union, Israel and the crisis of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam The Dam is used to generate electricity and went into partial operation in 2022. The Watercourses Convention aims to regulate the uses, as well as the conservation, of all transboundary waters above and below the surface. Concern has focused in particular on Lake Turkana, which derives 90 per cent of its water from the Omo River on which the Gilgel Gibe III Dam was built. The various warnings by experts about the dangers of the new Ethiopian dam have begun to cause panic among Egyptians, to the point of belief that the Aswan Dam will collapse once the Renaissance is completed. In addition, no independent, multilateral Environmental and Social Impact Assessments has been carried out suggesting that Ethiopia is reneging from the 2015 Declaration of Principles (Kandeel, 2020). One question that keeps coming up is: Will Ethiopia be willing to release enough water from the reservoir to help mitigate a drought downstream? Tawfik, Rawia Discussion Paper 5/2015 . But the project has caused concern. The GERD and the Revival of the Egyptian-Sudanese Dispute over the Nile Waters. The colonial powers have departed and so to continue to enforce treaties agreed based around their interests would be irrational. Ethiopia's determination to build a major new dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), for hydropower purposes has been the flashpoint of current conflicts in the Eastern Nile Basin (Gebreluel, 2014). Filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) along the Blue Nile River is well under way near the Ethiopia-Sudan border. Already, on June 19, 2020, Egyptian authorities called upon the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to intervene after tripartite talks had failed to secure an agreement on the filling schedule for the GERD. Even without taking the dam into account, the largely desert country is short of water. (2014). Attempts to resolve the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute over the past decade have reached a deadlock. (PDF) Benefit of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Project (GERDP) for Both citizens and governments should be made part of the solution to the water-related conflicts that now threaten peace and security in the Nile Basin. In any event, the dispute remains. Indeed, the ICJ confirmed in Gabikovo-Nagymaros Project that all riparian states have a basic right to an equitable and reasonable sharing of the resources of the watercourse. Moreover, these principles were pulled through into the DoP agreed by both Egypt and Ethiopia. The most important of these treaties is the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (the Watercourses Convention). By Ambassador Gurjit Singh*. After announcing the dam's construction, and with a view to the increasing tensions, the Ethiopian government invited both Egypt and Sudan to form an International Panel of Experts (IPoE) to solicit understanding of the benefits, costs and impacts of the GERD. The Dam is being built by Ethiopia on the Nile River and is fiercely opposed by Egypt. Ethiopia, whose highlands supply more than 85 percent of the water that flows into the Nile River, has long argued that it has the right to utilize its natural resources to address widespread poverty and improve the living standards of its people. Despite several tripartite meetings between November 2013 and January 2014, no agreement was reached on the implementation of the IPoE recommendations and controversies were evolving around the constitution of a trilateral committee. February 14, 2022 JPEG Egypts Nile Water Policy under Sisi: Security Interests Promote Rapprochement with Ethiopia. It and several other large dams in Ethiopia could turn the country into Africa's hydropower hub. The dispute escalated in 2011 when Ethiopia began construction of a major new dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), in the absence of any agreement with downstream Egypt. Recently, however, Sudan has been more cautious with the project, citing concerns that the GERDs operation and safety could jeopardise its own dams (The New Arab, 2020b). An agreement between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is within reach, with the United Nations standing ready to support talks and the African Union-led process to settle remaining differences, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told the Security Council in a 29 June videoconference meeting*. A general view of the Blue Nile river as it passes through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba in Ethiopia, on December 26, 2019. A major reason the GERD is so controversial today is that it has not been subjected to thorough safety and impact studies, which could pose a grave threat to downriver nations. In that light, Egypt should minimize trips to Washington, D.C., New York, and Brussels, and instead use its diplomatic resources to improve its relations with the other riparian states. l located on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia . For nearly a century, as a legacy of colonialism, Egypt enjoyed what Tekuya referred to as a hydro-hegemony over the Nile; despite Ethiopia contributing 86% to its waters. (PDF) The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Evaluating Its Article 7 provides that watercourse states must take all appropriate measures to prevent significant harm to other watercourse States and that, where harm does occur, there shall be consultations to discuss the question of compensation. Finally, Article 8 requires that watercourse states cooperate on the basis of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, mutual benefit and good faith.. Stratfor Worldview. Location l Formerly called as project x then known as the Millennium Dam then it renamed to Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The instrument was a success in terms of cooling tensions between the states which seemed increasingly likely to come to blows. Disputes over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), hailed by both Egypt and Ethiopia as a new chapter in relations between Egypt and Ethiopia based on openness and mutual understanding and cooperation (. In March 2015, a 'Declaration of Principles' was signed by the leaders of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, setting the foundations for an initial cooperation (Salman, 2017). The significance of Gulf involvement was highlighted by the . The official narrative is that Ethiopia can uproot poverty and bring about a definitive end to social and economic underdevelopment by means of the construction of a series of mega-dams combined with the development of the national energy infrastructure. Ethiopias interests in developing its water resources are driven by its growing population and high demand for socio-economic development (Gebreluel, 2014). It has led a diplomatic initiative to undermine support for the dam in the region; as well as in other countries supporting the project such as China and Italy. Therefore, all the water is eventually released downstream with the effect that there is no net loss of water to downstream states. Subsequent impact studies were performed by the European Investment Bank and the African Development Bank, and in the light of the results, these banks cancelled their funding for Gibe III. Ethiopia Needs the United States to Act as an Honest Broker in the Nile . Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - jpl.nasa.gov There are three key articles. At that point, the lake that . Cairo . It also codified the principles of equitable and reasonable utilisation and no significant harm (essentially importing from the Watercourses Convention). Despite the fact that newly independent Sudan in the late 1950s was literally forced by a dominant Egypt into a highly asymmetrical water-sharing arrangement, Sudan has rarely challenged this arrangement. An unsubscribe function is also at the bottom of every newsletter. Egypt had asked the UNSC to push the three countries to adhere to their obligations in accordance with the rules of international law in order to reach a fair and balanced solution to the issue of the GERD. Egypts repeated references to the rules of international law is part of an effort to maintain its so-called natural and historical rights that were established and reaffirmed by the 1929 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty and 1959 Agreement between Egypt and Sudan, respectivelytreaties many of the other involved parties reject as anachronistic and untenable. This is on the basis of the principles of State succession as outlined in the Vienna Convention on the Succession of States (VCSS). After all, the VCLT allows states to withdraw from or terminate a treaty owing to a fundamental change of circumstances which has occurred and which was not foreseen by the parties (Article 62(1)). Construction of the 6,000-megawatt, US $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) began . The filling time is estimated to take about 10 years, during which the Blue Nile water flows would be reduced. Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) - ArcGIS StoryMaps Egypt wants control and guarantees for its share of Nile waters. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Gets Set to Open - Hiiraan Online "The Israeli installation of the missile system around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was completed after the Israeli work began in May 2019, considering that it is the first Israeli air defense system abroad that can launch (two types of missiles), the first with a range of 5 km, and the second with a range of 50 kilometer". Zegabi East Africa News (2015). On 5 July 2021, Ethiopia informed Egypt and Sudan that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia is undergoing its second filling. khadsyy Plus. The late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who laid the foundation stone in 2011, said the dam would be built without begging for money . Consequently, under the principle of pacta tertiis nec nocent nec prosunt, it could demonstrate that those treaties cannot bind it as it was a third party and did not give its consent. In fact, about 85 % of the overall Nile flow originates on Ethiopian territory (Swain, 2011). It simultaneously expects that this role will change Ethiopias international status from a country perceived as poor and dependent on foreign aid to a regional power able to provide vital resources to its surrounding region. At 6,000 MW, the dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa when completed at 2017(IPoE, 2013). Given agricultures importance to pro-poor economic growth, Egypt, which has significant experience and expertise in irrigation agriculture, can share some of that expertise with other countries in exchange for increased trade with them. Why was the aswan high dam built? Explained by Sharing Culture L'Europe en Formation, 365(3), 99-138. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Its Effect on Egypt Ethiopia: The Untold Story of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam This article quantifies the major benefits of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Project for Sudan and Egypt based on GERDP technical design and quantitative analysis. Further, it means that this figure should be used to assess the impact of the Dam on the Egyptian economy for the purposes of calculating compensation resulting from loss of flow. Egypt, which lies 1,600 miles downstream of the Dam, believes its operation will reduce the amount of fresh water available to it from the Nile. Match. Egypt, fearing major disruptions to its access to the Niles waters, originally intended to prevent even the start of the GERDs construction. It is therefore intrinsically connected with the question of land ownership. In an effort to forestall potential water conflicts such as the one brewing around the Dam, an increasing number of bilateral and multilateral water agreements have been concluded in recent decades. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam located in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, about 45 km east of the border with Sudan. disadvantages of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam Flashcards. The Danger of Multi-Party Democracy and Free Elections in Plural Societies Recognizing the Muslim Brotherhood as a Legitimate Player in Egyptian Politics was a Big Mistake Ethiopian Partnering with ASKY to Establish West African Cargo Hub Ethiopia and China's ZTE singed $800 million mobile deal H and M to build factories in Ethiopia Lastly, over-year storage facilities upstream in Ethiopia will allow Sudan to increase its water use. According to this narrative, the Blue Nile, or Abay in Amharic, is a purely Ethiopian river. Omar, A. Egypt fears Ethiopia Renaissance Dam threatens water supply As a consequence, Ethiopia has not been able to make significant use of the rivers waters. However, as noted above, the trouble with relying on the DoP is that its legal status is not clearly defined. Under the Ethiopian constitution, the state is the proprietor of the countrys land and natural resources, which gives the government significant control over the allocation and use of land. However, for the reasons given above, the Nile Waters Treaties are unlikely to be considered territorial treaties. General view of the talks on Hidase Dam, built on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia, between Sudan and Egypt in Khartoum, Sudan on October 04, 2019. The countrys 2003 development plan introduced many more, and the Ethiopian government launched an ambitious PR campaign to encourage donor nations and international funding agencies to support these projects financially and ideologically as the highway to Ethiopian development and prosperity. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) takes an expansionist view towards decolonisation as seen in the Chagos Islands Advisory Opinion, in which it allowed the decolonisation agenda to trump the UKs lack of consent to any contentious proceedings. The unilateral decision taken by Ethiopia - which never recognised the 1959 agreement but had previously not been able to challenge it in fact - to build the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2011 represents a major political challenge to the 1959 Agreement. For example, Ethiopians and Egyptians are more likely to understand and appreciate the challenges that they face, particularly in the areas of water security, climate change, food production, and poverty alleviation, if they regularly interact with each other and engage in more bottom-up, participatory and inclusive approaches to the resolution of their conflicts. Water Policy, 16(4), 595-608. First came the 1999 Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA). The politicisation of the Niles water and the utilisation of development projects to achieve political ends are not new phenomena. Typically, treaties contain provisions on the identification and function of the depositary, entry into force, adoption and so on (Article 24(4) Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT)). In March 2015, a 'Declaration of Principles' was signed by the leaders of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, setting the foundations for an initial cooperation. 4. It was in the hope of protecting Lake Turkana against such threats that it was listed as a World Heritage Site. That seems unlikely given that the DoP concerns the Dam alone and was agreed only between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan; whereas the Nile Waters Treaties concern the whole Nile Basin and involve many more states. Officials in Addis Ababa argue that the GERD will have no major impact on water flow into the Nile, instead arguing that the hydropower dam will provide benefits to countries in the region, including as a source of affordable electric power and as a major mechanism for the management of the Nile, including the mitigation of droughts and water salinity.