Egyptians Right to the Water of the Nile حق المصريين فى مياه النيل

We the People of Egypt call on the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to respect the applicable rules of international law and not to undertake unilateral measures in regard to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that could harm Egyptian riparian rights and interests is a testament to the extent to which Ethiopia unilaterally considers its interests not only as superseding, but also superior to, the collective interests of the sovereign country of Egypt.

We request that you abide by the 2015 Agreement on Declaration of Principles (DoP) and not to anoint yourself as the unchallenged and sole beneficiary over the Nile. This is especially apparent in your insistence on filling the GERD unilaterally in July 2020 without reaching an agreement with downstream states, and while holding negotiations on the GERD Hostage to domestic political considerations.

We call on you to affirm your commitment not to commence the filling of the GERD without an agreement, and to accept the agreement prepared by neutral mediators. We also ask you to take into consideration the common values, cultural ties, and bonds of kinship between the Egyptian people and Ethiopian people.

A balanced win-win solution is at hand and the opportunity to chart a new course and redraw the history of the Blue Nile is within our grasp and should be seized for the benefit of over 215 million Egyptians and Ethiopians.to be friends and neighbours better to be enemies forever.

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نحن المصريون ندعو جمهورية إثيوبيا الفيدرالية الديمقراطية بالالتزام بمبادئ القانون الدولي واجبة التطبيق بخصوص سد النهضة وعدم الإقدام علي أي إجراءات أحادية من شأنها الإضرار بحقوق مصر ومصالحها المائية ما هو إلا إقرار بالمدي الذي باتت إثيوبيا تعتقد أن مصالحها تطغي علي مصالح مصر والتي تسعي إثيوبيا للهيمنة عليها.

نحن نطالب إثيوبيا أن تلتزم ببنود اتفاق إعلان المبادئعن عام ٢٠١٥، حيث إن النهج الإثيوبي يدل علي نية ممارسة الهيمنة علي نهر النيل وتنصب نفسها كمستفيد أوحد من خيراته. وقد تجلي ذلك في إصرار إثيوبيا علي ملء سد النهضة بشكل منفرد في شهر يوليو ٢٠٢٠ دون التوصل لاتفاق مع دول المصب، في محاولة منها لجعل مسار المفاوضات رهينة لاعتبارات سياسية داخلية.

نحن نناشد إثيوبيا وشعبها بالتأكيد علي عدم ملء سد النهضة قبل الوصول إلي اتفاق مع دول المصب، كما ندعو إثيوبيا بالموافقة علي اتفاق ملء سد النهضة وتشغيله الذي أعده الوسطاء المحايدون، وهما الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية بالتنسيق مع البنك الدولي. وأن تأخذ إثيوبيا في اعتبارها الصلات والروابط الحضارية والتاريخية ومراعاة حقوق الجيرة والصداقة عبر الزمان التي تجمع بين الشعب المصري والشعب الإثيوبي.

وختاماً نؤكد أنه مازال أمامنا حل متوازن لموضوع سد النهضة يؤمن المصالح المشتركة لكافة الأطراف ويوفر فرصة تاريخية لكتابة فصل جديد من التعاون بين الدول المشاطئة للنيل الأزرق، وهي الفرصة التي يجب علينا اغتنامها لمصلحة أكثر من ٢١٥ مليون مواطن في مصر وإثيوبيا.فإن نكون أصدقاء وجيران أفضل من أنا نكون أعداء للأبد.

يرجى دعم وتوقيع هذه العريضة

إدعموا بلدكم مصر فى الحصول العادل على حقها فى مياه النيل دون نقصان.

رجاء التوقيع على العريضة الإستطلاعية "المصريون يريدون حقهم فى الحصول على مياه النيل"

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Renaissance Dam tripartite meetings to resume in Ethiopia

A deadline for the foreign consultancy firms to finalise their report on the dam will be decided when the tripartite committee meets later this week

A general view shows construction activity on the Grand Renaissance dam in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz region March 16, 2014 

Egypt's Minister of Irrigation, Hossam Moghazi, said on Monday that the tripartite committee for Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam will meet on 20 and 21 August in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, As  reported.

The committee will discuss the latest developments regarding the undelivered foreign consultancy firms' report on the dam.

The tripartite committee, which includes representatives and experts from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, are set to meet to set a new dealine for the French BRL group and Dutch Deltares consultancy firm to complete their report, following their failure to meet their previous deadline on the impact of the dam last Wednesday.

Alaa Yassin, advisor to the Egyptian minister of water resources and irrigation, told that a deadline for the consultancy firms to submit their reports to the committee would be announced following the meeting on Thursday.

It is not clear why consultancy firms didn't deliver their reports to the committee on time. However, Yassin told that Sudan, which hosted the most recent talks in Khartoum, should have been the country initiating talks with the firms and questioning them over the delay.

According to Yassin, the tripartite committee will comment on and raise their concerns about the technical report conducted by the two firms upon its delivery.

The three countries previously agreed to give 70 percent of the research workload to the French consultancy firm, while the other 30 percent was given to the Dutch firm.

"We are trying to do our best to reserve our rights over Nile water. We will not concede regarding our historical right," Yassin asserted.

Yassin also told that Egypt is aware of the conflict of interests between the three countries regarding the dam, especially because each party has different objectives.

Each of the three countries in the tripartite committee has the power of veto.

In March 2015, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia signed a declaration of principles on the dam, agreeing to safeguard the interests of all three countries. 

Egypt and Ethiopia have been witnessing an improvement in relations. 

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who hailed the declaration as a "positive step", visited Ethiopia in March and addressed the country's parliament, calling for a new era of cooperation.

A high-level Ethiopian delegation led by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn attended the Suez Canal inauguration this month.

"It's in the best interests of all if we reach a middle ground or even a certain compromise regarding the dam,'' Yassin said.

According to the irrigation ministry, Egypt is currently suffering from a water deficit of 20 billion cubic meters and compensates it through water recycling, a process that isn't advisable in the long run.

The dam, scheduled to be completed in 2017, will be Africa's largest hydroelectric power plant with a storage capacity of 74 billion cubic meters of water.

#Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam talks to resume in #Khartoum

Officials to resume talks in the Sudanese capital as no agreement was reached at their last meeting held in Cairo concerning the technical study of the dam's impact

A general view shows construction activity on the Grand Renaissance dam in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz region March 16, 2014

A new round of talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are to be held in Khartoum on Wednesday aimed at resolving the latest controversies concerning the under-construction Renaissance Dam, Egypt's Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazi said.

Experts from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia along with representatives from the two international consultancy offices set to conduct a technical study on the dam will attend the two-day round of talks, Moghazi told .

Two European consultancy firms were commissioned in April to carry out a technical study on the possible impact of Ethiopia’s dam on the downstream countries of Sudan and Egypt. The new round of talks aims at reaching an agreement between the three countries on the impact of the dam.

Earlier this month, the tripartite committee, which includes representatives of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, discussed aspects of the technical study during talks in Cairo.

The talks ended after three days with no accord.

Moghazi told that the new round of talks will be extended if necessary in order to reach an agreement.

The study will determine the environmental, social and economic impacts of the construction of the dam.

In March, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia signed a declaration of principles on the dam, agreeing to safeguard the interests of all three countries.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who hailed the declaration as a "positive step", visited Ethiopia in the same month and addressed the country's parliament, calling for a new era of cooperation.

The dam, scheduled to be completed in 2017, will be Africa's largest hydroelectric power plant.

Egyptian president Sisi to address Ethiopian parliament Wednesday

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi held a press conference Tuesday with Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Desalegn

Snapshot from Egypt's state TV of Egyptian President Abd El-Fattah El-Sisi and Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Desalegn during a press conference in Addis Ababa on 24 March 2015.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will address the Ethiopian parliament on Wednesday as the two countries continue to talk over the latter's giant Nile dam project.

El-Sisi said at a press conference with Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Desalegn on Tuesday that bi-lateral talks "strengthen confidence" between the two states.

He said that the Declaration of Principles, signed by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on Monday, was a "positive step," adding that he hopes for subsequent steps to mark a "starting point for a better future."

Desalegn said that El-Sisi's visit asserts the "deep relationship" between the two countries. He added that the latest developments come to the benefit of both states, saying they have reached a level of "confidence and understanding" that will last for a long time.

El-Sisi also said he carries a message of "love and peace" from Egyptians to the Ethiopian people.

El-Sisi and Desalegn said they also discussed "cooperation efforts" to confront "terrorism" regionally.      

Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan signed a declaration of principles on Monday, in a critical step towards resolving a four-year dispute over Nile water sharing arrangements among Basin countries.

El-Sisi said the principles agreed upon, including understandings on the dam's storage capacity and the technique of filling its main reservoir, would safeguard the interests of all three countries.

For several years, Egypt has raised fears that Ethiopia's under-construction $4.2 billion Grand Renaissance Dam would negatively affect its Nile water share.  

The Ethiopian 6,000 megawatt dam, set to be Africa's largest, is expected to be fully completed by 2017. Ethiopia has finished constructing at least 40 percent of the dam.

Egyptian experts divided over Renaissance Dam declaration of principles

Political analyst sees declaration as a step towards new relations with Ethiopia, but former water minister slams it for threatening Egypt's share of Nile water

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, center, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, left, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, right, hold hands after signing an agreement on sharing water from the Nile River, in Khartoum, Sudan, Monday, March 23, 2015

Egyptian experts are divided in their reactions to Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on Monday signing a declaration of principles over Ethiopia building the Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, the Nile's largest tributary.

Egypt has repeatedly raised fears that Ethiopia's $4.2-billion dam, whose construction is said to be 40 percent complete and to finish in 2017,  would negatively affect its Nile water share.

Amany El-Taweel, African affairs specialist at the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, explained to Ahram Online on Tuesday that "the declaration does not grant anything to any party."

She believes the declaration is merely an "introductory" step that forges a political atmosphere suitable for future negotiations, echoing Youssef's sentiments that the declaration is a "true beginning" for cooperation between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

"It's a political agreement, a diplomatic move par excellence," El-Taweel said, explaining thats its aim was not to grant Egypt its rights, but to create harmonious relations.

Presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef said on Monday that the Declaration of Principles protects Egypt's water rights and is consistent with international laws, Al-Ahram's Arabic news website reported.

Youssef said that Egyptian diplomacy has been working on enhancing its relationship with Africa, and that Egypt is "launching" a new stage with its African neighbours.

"The declaration came at a very important time to remove the tension that had marred Egyptian-Ethiopian relations due to differences over the issue of the Renaissance Dam," Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) on Monday said in a document it published to explain the declaration.

El-Taweel said the declaration has to be followed by an agreement.

Egypt's Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Hossam El-Din Moghazy said earlier this month that the document was a positive step that will be followed by others.

Starting on 3 March, the foreign and water ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia attended three days of closed negotiations in Khartoum.

The declaration was drafted in Egypt and submitted to the Egyptian presidency, which resulted in Monday's signature.

Supporter: 'a dam for electricity, not irrigation'

Meanwhile, Egypt's president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi sent the declaration to the Supreme Council for Nile Water who commented on it, according to Ambassador Mona Omar, former assistant to the foreign minister for African matters.

Omar explained that the declaration is a statement of intentions or a general framework, agreeing with El-Taweel.

But unlike El-Taweel, she thinks that the declaration "offers some sort of guarantees for Egypt," she told .

It guarantees that Ethiopia will use the dam to generate power, not for agriculture, which would require greater water flow from the Nile, she explained.

Ethiopia's 6,000 megawatt dam is set to be Africa's largest.

"The purpose of the Renaissance Dam is to generate power, contribute to economic development, promote cooperation beyond borders, and regional integration through generating clean sustainable energy that can be relied on," states Principle 2 on "development, regional integration and sustainability".

However, Mohamed Nasreldin Allam, former irrigation and water resources minister, said "economic development" refers to agriculture.

Omar says that the declaration guarantees fair water distribution, according to Principle 5 on "the dam's storage reservoir first filling, and dam operation policies".

"We are still waiting for the consultancy firm's report," however says Omar.

The consultancy firm to carry out water and environmental impact studies on the dam, in fulfillment of an agreement made between the three countries last year, has yet to be selected after a delay from an initial selection date of 9 March.

Moghazy said last Wednesday that one of two shortlisted firms would be chosen by the end of March.

Omar stressed that the declaration is not binding, but it sends a comforting message that the three leaders are willing to cooperate, understand each country's needs and seek to abide by international law.

Critic warns of reduced water share

But Mohamed Nasreldin Allam, former minister irrigation and water resources, does not agree.

On private television channel Rotana on Monday, he slammed the declaration, especially as, he said, it might annul former agreements on Egypt's Nile water share or violate international law.

"Most of what was in the Antebe agreement that we refused in 2010 is in this declaration," he said.

The declaration is harsher than the UN's 1979 agreement, Allam says, because it does not stipulate fair use of Nile water "in a way that does not contradict former agreements". The declaration, he means, does not include this last condition.

Former agreements also include the 1959 agreement, which defines the Nile share for each of the downstream countries and sets Egypt’s annual share of Nile river water at 55.5 billion cubic meters.

This may well be annulled by the the recent declaration, says Allam.

"The agreement has taken up [the 10] principles from the perspective of their relation to the Renaissance Dam and its possible effect on the two downstream countries," however stated the SIS document, "and not from the perspective of regulating the use of Nile water included in other current international agreements that are not violated."

But Allam sees the declaration as "an unsuccessful step at an inconvenient time".

The former minister of irrigation and water resources further referred to Principle 4 on "fair and appropriate use", which states that a country's Nile water share depends on "the extent of contribution from each of the Nile Basin countries into the Nile river system."

Allam explained that, since Egypt does not contribute to the Nile, as it only receives water, this means that its share of water would decrease according to the above mentioned criterion.

He also criticised Principle 10 on "the peaceful settlement of disputes", which states that any discord is to be solved between the three countries through negotiations.

"If the parties involved do not succeed in solving the dispute through talks or negotiations, they can ask for mediation or refer the matter to their heads of states or prime ministers," according to the principle.

Allam said that  the declaration thus prevents Egypt from referring the case to the International Court of Justice or the Security Council.

Allam admitted that the declaration is only a general framework, not an agreement, and mentioned the fact that the parliament would review the matter.

Egypt has been without a parliament since the House of Representatives elected in late 2011 was dissolved in June 2012, following a court ruling that judged the law regulating its election to be unconstitutional.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi holds legislative powers until an elected parliament convenes.

Once a parliament is elected, they will have to vote on all laws issued by El-Sisi and his predecessor, interim president Adly Mansour.

Sisi cuts short AU visit after Sinai attacks kill at least 30

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will cut short his visit to Ethiopia and return to Egypt on Friday, following a series of militant attacks in North Sinai on Thursday night that left at least 30 people dead.

El-Sisi was in Addis Ababa to attend the 24th African Union summit meeting. He will return to Cairo after attending the opening session,  state-run news agency MENA reported.

 A photo from the 24 October 2014 attacks in North Sinai which killed 32 army soldiers

A series of deadly militant attacks involving mortar attacks and car bombs targeted several military and police sites in North Sinai on Thursday. Medical and security sources estimated the dead at 30, including several civilians.

Exact figures for casualties have yet to be announced by officials. The health ministry’s North Sinai undersecretary, Tariq Khater, told on Friday morning that he is not authorised to reveal the figures due to the military nature of the incidents.

Reuters quoted security sources as saying that military planes had left Sinai on Friday morning carrying thirty body bags. The sources also reportedly said that five men were critically injured and that the death toll was expected to rise.

According to Reuters, medical sources said that two children had been killed in Thursday’s violence. 

Following the attack, the armed forces said in a statement that the violence came in response to the "successful" security campaign against militants in the restive province, without elaborating further on the number killed.

Attacks by militant groups based in North Sinai have spiked since the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, with security forces particularly targeted. The armed forces have responded by waging a military campaign aimed at eradicating militants from Sinai.

Sinai-based militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for Thursday's attacks on an affiliated Twitter account.

The group, which has said it is behind a number of attacks in the peninsula, recently pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), the militant group which controls large swathes in Iraq and Syria.  

A security source told that the army have responded to Thursday’s attacks by starting wide military offensives throughout North Sinai, targeting terrorist hideouts using Apache helicopters and un-manned planes.

The deadly attacks came only days after Egypt had marked the fourth anniversary of the 25 January Revolution which ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The anniversary had been marked by increased tensions nationwide; a series of improvised bombs went off across the country over the last week, mainly targeting railroad tracks and electricity pylons, while 23 people died in violent clashes with police on the day of the anniversary.

The US has condemned Thursday’s violence. "The United States remains steadfast in its support of the Egyptian government’s efforts to combat the threat of terrorism in Egypt," an official statement read.

Ethiopian Patriarch in Egypt: 'We are united by nature'

Ethiopian Patriarch Mathias I visited Coptic churches and met Egyptian President El-Sisi during his five-day visit



Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II (L) with the Ethiopian Patriarch Mathias I during a press conference in Cairo, Wednesday 14 January, 2015
Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on a visit to Egypt said Wednesday that the two countries are "united by nature" through the Nile river and should overcome challenges through their bilateral relations.

"You should help building bridges that transfer truths without distortion," Patriarch Mathias I told a news conference.

The visit comes as Egypt and Ethiopia continue efforts to patch up the relations, which have been tense in recent years since Cairo raised concerns about the effect Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam project on the Blue Nile will have on Egypt’s water supply.

Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II also attended the conference and stated that the Ethiopian and Egyptian churches "surely play a role" in pushing talks forward asserting that "dialogue can solve any problems."

"It is important that everybody works toward building bridges, not only with Ethiopia but with everybody else, a policy we are witnessing with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and the government," Tawadros said.

In his meeting with the Ethiopian patriarch, El-Sisi said the Nile is a “source of life” for Egypt, not just development.

Ethiopia has repeatedly said that Egypt, a downstream country, will not be negatively affected by the under-construction dam. Both countries, along with Sudan, which is also downstream from the dam, have agreed to commission a new report on the effects of the dam by a yet-to-be selected international consultancy firm.

The Ethiopian patriarch visited several Coptic churches and is set to attend the weekly sermon by Tawadros II on Wednesday at St. Mark's Cathedral in Cairo. He also performed the divine liturgy at a Coptic church on Sunday.