Addis Ababa:Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Itefa, has criticized the historical impact of Egypt's Aswan High Dam, highlighting the social disruptions caused by its construction without Ethiopia's consent.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Minister Habtamu emphasized in a social media post that the Aswan High Dam is one of Africa's most significant mega-dam projects, which displaced over 100,000 Nubians, affecting their communities, livelihoods, and ancestral lands.
The Minister argued that the historical context of the Aswan project should be considered in the current discussions about the Abay (Nile) development and Ethiopia's rights to utilize its water resources. He asserted Ethiopia's sovereign right to develop its Nile water resources under the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization, rejecting the notion that Ethiopia needs to obtain prior consent from downstream countries for its projects.
Habtamu noted that Ethiopia has consistently called for consultation on Nile-water projects, pointing out that historical records from the 1950s show Ethiopia's objections to the lack of consultation on the Aswan project and earlier Nile-water arrangements.
He linked the historical experience of the Aswan project to the ongoing debate over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which is governed by the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed by Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. Habtamu challenged Egypt to justify its construction of the Aswan High Dam without Ethiopian consent before criticizing Ethiopia, suggesting that Egypt's historical actions weaken its stance on the need for downstream consultation.
