Ethiopian Dam and Egypt's Stance

Sisi: Egypt does not want war with Sudan and Ethiopia

Negotiations over the future of the dam has drag on for several years with no agreement in sight [FILE: AFP]


Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said his country was not meddling in the internal affairs of Sudan and Ethiopia as he sought to defuse rising tensions in the Red Sea region.

Sisi, in a televised comments broadcast on Monday, said Cairo was not planning to go to war with the African countries.

"We are not prepared to go to war against our brethren or anyone else for that matter. I am saying this as a clear message to our brothers in Sudan and Ethiopia," Sisi said.

"Egypt neither conspires nor meddles in anyone's internal affairs. We are determined to have good relations (with Sudan and Ethiopia). Our region has seen enough the past few years," he said.

Egypt fears that the soon-to-be completed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project, the largest hydroelectric dam project in Africa, will significantly reduce its share of the Nile River water. The river provides almost all of Egypt’s freshwater.

Addis Ababa says the $5 billion dam will not have any impact on Egypt’s share of the Nile water and claims the project is necessary for the East African country’s economic development.

Egypt, with a population roughly equal to that of Ethiopia, has traditionally received the lion's share of the Nile's waters under agreements reached in 1929 and 1959.

Other Nile basin nations view those agreements as unfair, arguing that the agreement ignores the needs of their own large and growing populations.

Egypt has long accused Sudan of siding with Ethiopia, while Khartoum claims Cairo is supporting rebels in its territory.

Khartoum recalled its ambassador to Cairo for "consultations" on January 4 following media reports of Egypt sending troops to Eritrea, which has a border with Sudan, emerged.

Sudan also closed its borders with Eritrea and sent troops to its border region of Kassala.


SOURCE: AL JAZEERA NEWS (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/sisi-egypt-war-sudan-ethiopia-180116074205823.html)

Author is Unknown

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RESPONSE

Audience and Purpose: I think that the intended audience for this article is mainly for the people who are directly affected by this conflict of the Nile river and the GERD (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam). I think it would also be mainly directed to the people who may not be directly affected but the people who may or may not benefit from this. I think that the main purpose of this article is to inform the readers on what the situation currently is in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan. The tension between the three countries because of this issue is definitely present and this article provides some insight into what the situation is like.

Bias:  I think that this article does portray a bias towards Egypt and their current situation in this, because all of their quotes used are from the Egyptian president and they only briefly mention the Ethiopians side. The article doesn't even mention where the Sudanese stand, only to say that Egypt claims that the Sudanese have sided with the Ethiopians. I do think that it is important to note that the article is written to tell the Egypt's side.

Opinion: From what I have read previously, it sounds like the dam is not the best plan for the rest of the Nile nations. The dam will hinder the daily lives of many people who rely on the Nile for their source of water and basically their daily lives. I do think that Ethiopia's dam will indeed benefit their country and, as they claim, the rest of east Africa, however, I think that they need to take into consideration how it will affect the rest of other countries around. Along with that, since they are already close to finishing the dam, I think that they should come to a compromise with the rest of the nations around. This being said, I still don't know much about this situation neither do I know both sides of the story fully.