The Nile, Ethiopia and Egypt By Fikre Mariam Tsehai: Feb 3, 2005

Winston Churchil once described Egypt as “as a deep sea diver whose air was provided by the long and vulnerable tube of the Nile”. That was in the old days. Eversince, things have changed. The Nile for Egypt serves beyond the mere fulfillment of basic needs. The resources of the Nile have transformed Egypt’s economy from subsistence into a thriving economy with production for world markets. Mind you, Egypt offers no tributaries to the Nile. And yet, far beyond feeding its population, Egypt is using the waters of the Nile to irrigate its vast desert lands. As the BBC reporter stated, a good example is the Al Hoda farm, one of Africa’s largest farms, covering thousands of acres of irrigated lands from where the fruits and vegetables are exported to Britain and other European countries. Among all the riparian states, Egypt is by far the only country that uses the waters of the Nile and uses them in an unfair way. And so, while it is understandable that Egypt should be sensitive to the fate of the Nile, it is totally devoid of rationality that Egypt should be protesting at the use of the Nile by other riparian states for irrigation purposes.

As far as Ethiopia is concerned, it is a different story. Ethiopia is the source of 85% of the Blue Nile. The barrenness of the land on the Ethiopian highlands is to a large part the result of the washing away of enormous quantities of top soil over a long period of time. The recurrent famine and the megadeaths resulting from drought when the country actually possesses the headwaters of the Blue Nile, as an upstream riparian state, remains ironical. In the past, this was due to lack of adequate technological devices coupled with lack of financial resources. However, it looks like the time has now come for Ethiopia to utilize the waters of the Blue Nile for irrigation-based agriculture as well as other development projects. Incidentally, I just returned from visiting soil and water conservation projects in southern Ethiopia. I visited a micro earth dam and a river extension project in Borana. A significant population in the region is becoming sedentary with significant improvement in their livelihood. I interviewed farmers in the region where over 33,000 hectares of land is irrigated. I heard from the farmers that they have now significant increase in the output of food crops from their farm plots. With serious demographic pressure in Ethiopia and scarcity of rain, I cannot emphasize enough the need to expand such earth dam projects and river extension projects for the millions of Ethiopians who otherwise will continue to be vulnerable. It is time Ethiopia should say, yeabayin lij wuha aytemawim.

In that regard, it looks like Ethiopia is finally asserting its rights to the Nile. The BBC’s Mike Thomson quotes Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles as saying, “If Egypt were to plan to stop Ethiopia from using the Nile waters it would have to occupy Ethiopia and no country on earth has done that in the past”. I commend the Prime Minister for stating Ethiopia’s rights in an unequivocal way. At the same time, I would also have liked to know the contents of the treaty Ethiopia and Egypt signed with regards to the use of the waters of the Blue Nile. Are we reneging on any thing we have agreed?

That said, every time Ethiopia asserts its rights over the use of the Nile, Egyptian leaders resort to saber-rattling instead of creating conducive conditions for the rational utilization and optimum development of the waters of the Nile. It is enough to recall what the late President of Egypt once said, “Any action that would endanger the waters of the Blue Nile will be faced with a firm reaction on the part of Egypt, even if that action should lead to war”. I am sure the same sentiment prevails in the psyche of current Egyptian leaders when it comes to the fate of the Nile.

The Nile is an international river. As such, its utilization should accommodate the needs of all the riparian states. Up to now, the Blue Nile has been subject to some dubious and incoherent treaties which are contrary to the cardinal principles of international law. It is therefore imperative that, instead of sable rattling, Egypt, together with other riparian states, should join the efforts to design an integrated development of the Nile resources as a framework for a meaningful cooperation among all riparian states. After all, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.