Egypt declared the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam illegitimate and reserved the right to protect its water security during a Cairo briefing. Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Hani Sewilam criticized Ethiopia for violating the 2015 Declaration of Principles and proceeding without a legally binding trilateral agreement on dam operations.
Cairo Declares the Dam Illegitimate and Rejects Unilateral Actions
Egypt considers the infrastructure project on the Blue Nile fundamentally unlawful and refuses to accept its physical completion as a settled reality. Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Hani Sewilam delivered the sharp appraisal during a briefing in Cairo with representatives of foreign media organized by the State Information Service.
The physical finalization of the structure does not mean that Cairo has acquiesced to a fait accompli or abandoned its rights, according to officials speaking at the briefing. Sewilam emphasized that the country reserves any measures permitted under international law to safeguard its national water security.
The dam is illegitimate and will remain so.
Hani Sewilam, Irrigation and Water Resources Minister
Disputed Commitments and the 2015 Declaration of Principles
At the heart of the diplomatic fracture lies the 2015 Declaration of Principles, an accord signed by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Sewilam reminded journalists that the document established a roadmap for cooperation, data exchange, and agreements regarding the initial filling and annual operation of the reservoir.
Cairo argues that the framework provided Addis Ababa with no authority for unilateral measures. Continuing to fill and operate the facility without a consensus-based accord constitutes a direct breach of mutual commitments. We gave Ethiopia more than one opportunity and tried every possible way to reach understandings, but it did not respond and also violated the Declaration of Principles,
Sewilam stated during the proceedings.
Downstream Operational Risks and Drought Management
Beyond questions of legal legitimacy, Egyptian authorities point to tangible hydrological dangers posed by uncoordinated reservoir management. Unregulated releases can trigger sudden surges or sharp drops in downstream water levels, directly threatening dams located in both Egypt and Sudan.
Cairo maintains that its primary anxiety centers on the timing and volume of water releases and the governance rules surrounding prolonged droughts or recurring floods. While Egypt and Sudan continue to advocate for a binding trilateral agreement, Ethiopia maintains that operating the facility requires no such accord and insists its operations will cause no harm to neighbors.
Contrasting Water Metrics Across the Nile Basin
The briefing also featured a detailed breakdown of regional water resources and land use to counter claims regarding Egypt’s consumption. Sewilam rejected assertions that Egypt absorbs the lion’s share of Nile waters, noting that the country’s annual allocation of 55.5 billion cubic meters accounts for approximately 2.7 percent of the roughly 2 trillion cubic meters of rainfall across the entire Nile Basin.
By comparison, Ethiopia absorbed more than 1 trillion cubic meters of rainfall in 2023, including roughly 467 billion cubic meters over its share of the Nile Basin, alongside renewable water resources totaling around 122 billion cubic meters annually. Sewilam pointed out that Ethiopia possesses more than 18 million hectares of agricultural land, utilizing green and blue water for farming and livestock, while suggesting that diversifying into wind and solar power could alleviate the country’s water pressures.
Standoff Marked by Suspended Talks
The latest diplomatic warning underscores a profound stalemate that has persisted since construction began on the Blue Nile in 2011. Formal negotiations among Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia were suspended for three years in 2020 before restarting in 2023, only to drift into a complete deadlock once again in 2024.
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