By Horn Africa News
CAIRO – Egypt has lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations Security Council against Ethiopia’s unilateral operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), warning that the project endangers the water security of both Egypt and Sudan.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Ethiopia for “violating previous commitments” and ignoring international appeals by proceeding with the filling and operation of the $4 billion dam without a binding agreement.
Cairo stressed that it will not recognize or accept any outcomes of the GERD unless they are based on a comprehensive, legally binding framework governing its operation.
“Egypt has exercised patience for years, choosing diplomacy over confrontation,” the ministry said, cautioning Addis Ababa not to mistake restraint for weakness. “We will not remain silent when our existential interests, tied to the Nile, are threatened.”
The GERD, built on the Blue Nile, is the largest hydroelectric project in Africa, with a reservoir capable of holding 74 billion cubic meters of water. Since 2020, Ethiopia has moved forward with filling the dam without securing an agreement with downstream nations. Repeated negotiations mediated by the African Union and other international actors have failed to produce a deal.
Both Egypt and Sudan argue that unilateral operations could dangerously reduce water flows during periods of drought. Egypt, which depends on the Nile for more than 90 percent of its freshwater needs, has repeatedly warned that it reserves the right to take “all measures permitted under international law” to protect its people.
The latest complaint underscores the high-stakes tensions among Nile Basin countries and raises fears of renewed escalation if no diplomatic breakthrough is reached.
