On Friday, Egypt announced it had instructed the UN Security Council to object to Ethiopia’s plans to unilaterally fill the Renaissance Dam without an agreement with Egypt and Sudan.
Since the launch of the project in 2011, the Renaissance Dam has caused conflict with Sudan and Egypt, whose water resources depend on the Nile.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “Egypt received a communication from the Ethiopian side on July 26 stating that Ethiopia continues to fill the reservoir of the Renaissance Dam during the current flood season, a measure that Egypt rejects and considers a violation of obligations imposed by international law on Ethiopia.”
The ministry added: “The Arab Republic of Egypt reserves the legitimate right…to take all necessary measures to ensure and protect its national security, including against any risks that may arise in the future as a result of Ethiopia’s unilateral measures.”
Ethiopia officially began power generation at the dam in February, despite repeated calls from Cairo and Khartoum to stop filling the dam without reaching a tripartite agreement. The dam in Addis Ababa is considered one of the largest in Africa. Its production target has been revised from 6,500 to 5,000 megawatts, double Ethiopia’s current production, and is expected to reach full production capacity in 2024.
US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer arrived in Ethiopia on Friday, where he will try to promote a diplomatic solution to the dispute over the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
In recent days, the US Special Representative visited Cairo, where he met with government representatives in the field of “Egyptian water security,” according to the US Embassy in Cairo.
