Diplomacy is needed to end the Nile Dam dispute

The river is a shared resource and it should, accordingly, be put to use amongst the nations that depend on it in the fairest way possible

Ethiopians celebrate the successful filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as the first two turbines' electricity production is tested, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AFP

On Saturday, Egypt and Sudan announced that they were intent on resolving disputes over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam project through diplomacy. Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli and his Sudanese counterpart Abdalla Hamdok said in a joint statement that "negotiations are the only way to resolve the problems of the dam”. The statement is more noteworthy than it may appear.

Ethiopia launched the construction of the $4 billion (Dh14.69bn) mega-dam nearly a decade ago. The project is designed to boost the nation’s economy by providing hydroelectricity to Ethiopians and allowing for the surplus to be sold to neighbouring countries. Downstream nations, however, have expressed concerns over Ethiopia’s development ambitions. Egypt fears that the dam may jeopardise its access to water from the Nile, on which the country relies for 90 per cent of its needs.

Sudan, meanwhile, is looking forward to buying hydroelectricity from Ethiopia in the future, but is concerned about the safety of the project, built along its border, and its effect on Sudanese dams.

Nations, of course, have a duty to endeavour to resolve their differences through negotiations rather than military action, and both Cairo and Addis Ababa confirm their commitment to diplomacy. However, both have also come alarmingly close to confrontation over the dispute in the past. Senior Egyptian officials, including President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, have stated that access to the water of the Nile river was an existential issue for their country. In the past few months, social media users and public figures in Egypt and Ethiopia have also encouraged their respective leaders to take military action to solve the dispute once and for all. The dam has become a symbol of national pride for Ethiopians while it has come to represent a threat to Egyptian livelihoods.

In February, negotiations mediated by the US did not result in a breakthrough. Talks were also suspended earlier this month, after Ethiopia insisted on renegotiating the division of the Blue Nile’s resources.

It is crucial to acknowledge that dialogue is the only path to a resolution. Following the failure of US mediation to yield results, regional players have come together to find a solution. Talks were scheduled to resume yesterday, with mediation by the African Union.

The Nile is a shared resource and it should, accordingly, be put to use amongst the nations that depend on it in the fairest way possible. The Nile river and its basin traverse 11 African countries, and hundreds of millions of people depend on its water for their livelihoods and well-being. Compromise is necessary in any negotiation, and it is crucial that the solution be engineered by the parties affected themselves. A failure to talk will only stoke bitter resentment, when the path to development in the region lies in co-operation and building trust.