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Mostafa El-Feki*
I call for refraining from the use of the Ethiopian-invented expression the “renaissance” dam because it is an attempt on branding with a purpose to solicit world sympathy and international support to the detriment of the other downstream Nile basin countries and their historical right to water. The term “renaissance” is used to invoke sympathy with a poor country, Ethiopia, “striving” to build its presumed “renaissance” and to lay down foundations for its future. There was no mention as to whether such endeavour was detriment to the interest of other parties; namely, Egypt and Sudan.
The branding of the project name was designed to deprive the two other parties of a fair hearing of their objection.
With Egypt in mind, Addis Ababa looks as if it has painted the oldest country in the continent as well as the strongest and richest, as trying to deprive Ethiopia of the right to development and undermine its prospective renaissance; only because of Cairo’s objection of the consequences of the project.
When Egypt built The High Dam, in the late 1950s and the early 1960s, it did not call it “the development dam”, “the liberation dam”, nor even “the future dam”. It stuck by the descriptive name and called it The High Dam.
It looks suspiciously futile to fall for the Ethiopian deception.
This serves as an invitation to all those who recognise the fairness of the Egyptian position, emanating from upheld legitimacy of International Rivers Conventions agreed by the community of nations, to set aside such deceptive branding promoted by Ethiopia and its backers. After all, the River Nile is almost the only source of water and life to the hundred million Egyptians.
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Reaching an agreement between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt on the filling, and long-term operation of the dam before Ethiopia starts filling GERD, is a serious issue for Egypt. A reduction of water availability by only one billion cubic meters at Aswan (a value that is much lower than most GERD filling and operation prediction scenarios) will result in:
- Agricultural production loss of $430 Million.
- The loss of almost 294,000 feddans of agricultural land.
- An increase in agricultural imports by 2.2 percent.
- More than 290,000 families will lose their income, which will increase the possibility of migration and displacement of people to neighbouring countries.
- Potential instability and the exacerbation of the threat of terrorism, from which the region is already suffering.
For the full study of the implications;
https://en.timesofegypt.com/eng/2020/07/13/ethiopian-dam-negotiations-conclude-at-dead-end/
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The devious intention is to present Egypt to other African countries as the party which stands in the way to their development and progress. It goes on to implicate the Egyptian position on the Ethiopian dam as a case in point; regardless of the foundations of Cairo’s objections and the certainty of harmful consequences to both Egypt and Sudan.
Addis Ababa is trying to rally Africa against a sister country, which supported the liberation and antiapartheid movement in the continent, contributed generously to development projects of its countries and placed all of its’ capabilities in support of them whenever a need required.
Suffices to point out that the Egyptian foreign ministry has, within its institutional structure, an African Development Agency. It provides nearly 300 skilled experts annually in the fields of health, education, engineering, agriculture, and irrigation. Egypt foots the bill for the full cost of their services, as a commitment to Africa’s renaissance, which Ethiopia deviously claims that Cairo stands in its way.
Addis Ababa is trying to drive a wedge in the Egyptian-African relationship so that should the crisis be referred to the African Union, Egypt would be readily met with hostile reception. Such bait is cleverly used in addressing European countries as an Egyptian attempt to retain regional and African eminence, as well as economic development, which it denies others.
Unfortunately, some Scandinavian and Western European countries took the bait. Other countries in East Asia: including India, China and Japan have come to see the issue as an Ethiopian right to development.
The Ethiopian deception drew support from, among others, a sister Arab state; venting its ruler’s hatred of Egypt by playing with the many thousand years of historical supply of river water flow.
Above all, the ill-intentioned Ethiopian solicitation of international organisations was supported by contribution from Israel, resulting in a media campaign targeting Egypt.
At this stage, it is not enough that brotherly African and Arab countries are trying to help Egypt by announcing decisions and issuing declarations. What Egypt needs now is plans and positions which can make impact on Ethiopia, persuading its government to moderate its policies and adopt the right course of action.
The Ethiopians are trying to spoil the relationship between the two downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, win Sudan to their side and incite Khartoum to collaborate against Cairo’s interest. Apparent lies and fantastic unrealistic promises were used to that end.
I believe the time has come to launch an international media campaign calling for a realistic and objective understanding of the Egyptian position.
Cairo’s patience has persisted for a full decade of negotiations while Ethiopia continued with building its ‘antagonising’ dam. At the beginning it claimed that it was to produce electricity. At the end, it admitted that it was for controlling the flow of the river water.
President Sisi was right to internationalise the issue; presenting it to the United Nations General Assembly last year (2019). He exposed to everybody the Ethiopian procrastination, international deception and shady suspicious alliances in order to expropriate the water rights of the two downstream Nile River countries, which in effect to deny them their right to life.
It is an iniquitous Ethiopian dam. It was never conceived of as a renaissance dam.
* Director General of The Alexandria Library, Former Ambassador and Information Secretary to The President of Egypt.
