Water and politics in Africa

 Welcome to the last post! Throughout this blog, I have attempted to cover the complicated hydropolitics of the Nile river Basin, with a focus on the GERD. There a lot of important points that I haven't been able to cover. I will try to briefly go over these in this final post. Regarding the GERD, I have mainly focused on Egypt and Ethiopia, particularly on how the dam benefits Ethiopia (and downstream countries) as well as how the dam can potentially lead to conflicts, with Egypt looking to protect its interests. What I haven't explored in more detail is the position of Sudan which, bordering both Egypt and Ethiopia, is an interesting one. Sudan stands to benefit more from the GERD than Egypt, as the regulation of the Nile's flow will grant Sudan a "more stable annual electricity production and irrigation water supply" ( Heggy et al, 2021 ). In the first few years after the GERD was announced, Sudan initially sided with Ethiopia but, in recent years, has moved cl...

In my second post, I mentioned the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), a platform for transnational cooperation for the management of the Nile river. In this post, I would like to explore this initiative further, looking at its history, how it works, as well as the challenges it faces. The NBI, which aims to increase cooperation between the Nile riparian countries, was established in 1999. This intergovernmental collaboration includes 10 nations: Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC, with Eritrea as an observer state. It is an important step for countries looking for more positive interactions and collaboration.  The NBI's main goals include building "an inclusive framework for governing the river's water" ( Al-Anani, 2020 ), as well as focusing on shared interests and "build confidence through cooperation at practical levels" ( K ü ng, 2003 ). The NBI is focused on facilitating joint, coordinated action and mut...

In the second post, I briefly explained Egypt’s reliance on the Nile, as well as some of the worries concerning its historical right to the Nile being contested. In this post, I will delve deeper into these worries in the context of the GERD and look at the potential conflicts that may arise.  I will also look at how Egypt has responded to the looming threat of a reduction in its share of the Nile’s water because of the GERD. Egypt and Sudan's joint military drill  While there has been no direct armed conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia over the GERD, Egypt has shown it would be prepared if a direct confrontation ever took place. In April 2021, Egypt and Sudan conducted a joint aerial military exercise, whilst in the middle of tensions with Ethiopia over the dam ( Sabry, 2021 ).  In addition, Egypt has, on multiple occasions, objected to Ethiopia’s unilateral filling of the GERD without a deal with them and Sudan, going as far as writing an official complaint to...