(3) ? The Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and why Egypt
The Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and
why Egypt? (3)
The Nile River :
The Nile River is the longest river in the world and the entire globe ; with a length of 6650 km and this river passes through eleven African countries , which are called the Nile Basin countries;
They are : Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Uganda, Ethiopia, Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya. This river is characterized by its abundance and abundance , as the Nile and the Euphrates are considered the two richest rivers in the Arab world. The name of the Nile is due to this the name is of the Greek origin of the name, Whereas the meaning of the Nile in the ancient Greek language is “ the valley of the river ”, while the Egyptian pharaohs used to call it “Atru’a”, meaning the great river . The Nile River is located in the continent of Africa , and flows from the north of the continent.
The source of this river is Lake Victoria , while the mouth of the Nile River is the Mediterranean Sea .
The Nile River has two main tributaries, the White Nile River and the Blue Nile River. The White Nile River stems from the Great Lakes region in the middle of the African continent, Victoria . while the Blue Nile River begins in Lake Tana in Ethiopia and passes in the southeast of Sudan, and finally the White and Blue rivers meet in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to form the Greater Nile River and pour into the Mediterranean Sea .
The spatial importance of the Nile stems from the diversity of its geography, as it passes through highlands in the south, until it reaches the plains region in the north , The Nile River is considered the only river that originates from the south to flow into the north, due to the tilt of the land, and the Nile River is of great economic importance and importance for the countries of the Nile Basin, as farmers depend on them for their crops and watering their crops ; the river basin countries are famous for the cultivation of cotton , wheat , sugar cane , and other crops that require an abundance of water and fertile lands . it is also important in the field of fishing , due to the richness of the Nile River with different types of fish and do not forget its tourism importance, and what it brings to the countries benefiting from the river.
The Nile River and the Egyptian Constitution Texts :
Egypt is committed to protecting the Nile River , preserving its historical rights related to it , rationalizing and maximizing its use , and not wasting or polluting its waters.
The state is also committed to protecting its groundwater , taking the necessary means to achieve water security and supporting scientific research in this field.
The right of every citizen to enjoy the Nile River is guaranteed, and it is prohibited to infringe on its sanctity or harm the river environment, and the state guarantees the removal of encroachments on it, in the manner regulated by law .
Ernational agreements governing the Nile River :
Protocol of Rome 15 April 1891
It was signed by Britain and Italy , which was occupying Eritrea at the time regarding defining the areas of influence of each of the two countries in East Africa. Italy pledged in Article III of the agreement not to establish any installations for irrigation purposes on the Atbara River that could affect the flows of the Nile waters to other countries.
Addis Ababa Agreement May 15, 1902
It was signed by Britain on behalf of Egypt and Ethiopia, and the most important thing in it is Article Three, which states: “The Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II promises not to build or allow the construction of any works on the Blue Nile, Lake Tana or Sobat that would interfere with the flow of the Nile waters, except with the approval of the British government. and the Sudanese government in advance.
London Convention December 13, 1906
It was signed between Britain - on behalf of Egypt and the Congo - and France and Italy. The fourth item stipulates that these countries work together to secure the entry of the waters of the Blue and White Niles and their tributaries. It undertakes not to perform any occupations on them that would reduce the amount of water heading towards the main Nile.
Rome Convention 1925
It is a set of letters exchanged between Britain and Italy in 1925, in which Italy recognizes the acquired water rights of Egypt and Sudan in the waters of the Blue and White Niles and their tributaries, and pledges not to make any occupations on them that would reduce the amount of water heading towards the main Nile .
July 1993 Cooperation Framework
It was signed in Cairo on the first of July 1993 between the then Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak and the Ethiopian Prime Minister at this time, Meles Zenawi , and this framework had a major role in improving Egyptian - Ethiopian relations, and this framework included cooperation between Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the Nile water in the following points :
- The failure of any of the two countries to undertake any activity related to the waters of the Nile that may cause harm to the interests of the other country.
The necessity of preserving and protecting the Nile waters . -
- Respect for international laws .
- Consultation and cooperation between the two countries for the purpose of establishing projects that increase the volume of water flow and reduce losses
Two agreements between Egypt and Sudan
1929 agreement
The agreement between Egypt and Britain - which was on behalf of Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania - was in harmony with all previous agreements, as it stipulated that no irrigation or hydroelectric works or any other measures should be carried out without a prior agreement with the Egyptian government on the Nile and its branches or on the lakes that originate Of which .
1959agreement
This agreement was signed on November 5, 1959 between Egypt and Sudan, and it complemented the 1929 agreement and did not cancel it, as it includes full control of the Nile waters that reach both Egypt and Sudan in light of the new changes that appeared on the scene at that time, which is the desire to build the High Dam and the Upper Nile projects To increase the river’s revenue and establish a number of reservoirs in Aswan. For the first time, the November 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan specified the amount of water at 55.5 billion cubic meters annually for Egypt and 18.5 billion for Sudan . The most important agreements between Egypt and the Nile Basin countries "Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.
London Agreement of May 1906
It was signed between Britain and the Congo , which is an amendment to an agreement that had been previously signed between the same parties on May 12, 1894, and the third clause of it stipulates that the Congolese government undertake not to establish or permit any occupations on or near the Semliki River or the Asango River that would reduce water volume that flows into Lake Albert unless agreed with the Government of Sudan .
1953 Convention
The signature between Egypt and Britain on behalf of Uganda regarding the construction of the Owen reservoir at the exit of Lake Victoria, which is a set of letters exchanged during the years 1949 and 1953 between the Egyptian and British governments, and the most important points of this agreement: Reciprocal agreements referred to the 1929 agreement and pledged to abide by it, and stipulated that the agreement on Owen Reservoir will be built in the spirit of the 1929 Convention - Britain pledged in that agreement on behalf of Uganda that the construction and operation of the power plant would not It would reduce the amount of water that reaches Egypt, modify the date of its arrival to it, or reduce Attributed to causing any harm to the interest of Egypt .
1991 Agreement
Between Egypt and Uganda signed by former President Mubarak and Ugandan President Museveni among them are :
In that agreement , Uganda confirmed its respect for what was stated in the 1953 agreement signed by Britain on its behalf , which is an implicit acknowledgment of the 1929 agreement .
- The agreement stipulated that the water regulatory policy of Lake Victoria should be discussed and reviewed between Egypt and Uganda within the safe borders in a way that does not affect Egypt's water needs .
Khartoum Agreement 2015
Today, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia signed the Declaration of Principles Agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the protection of the waters of the Nile River, and the document stipulated: - Respecting the principles agreement signed by the presidents and paying the course of studies, with the French company “Artelia” carrying out technical studies with the “BRL” company to carry out technical studies of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam .
Ethiopia declares its full commitment to the contents of the agreement in the fifth clause in the declaration of principles related to the first filling and operation, based on the results of studies , in accordance with the grand agreement signed by the presidents last March in Khartoum .
Forming a technical committee to discuss the possibility of increasing the number of additional openings requested by Egypt , and if the committee concludes that these openings are vital, they will be adhered to what these openings were vital and technically necessary will be implemented, to ensure Egyptian water security .
Continuing the work of the Six-Party Committee at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Irrigation, and discussing the Egyptian request by increasing
the openings of the Renaissance Dam to increase water flows into the Blue Nile, especially during the period of low levels .
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