Tension Between Ethiopia and Egypt Over New Dam in the Nile

The document examines the conflict between Ethiopia and Egypt over the proposed Great Millennium Dam, a project with a 5,250 megawatt capacity. Egypt has expressed concerns regarding its water quota and has threatened military action, while Ethiopia links Egyptian access to the site to the signing of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA). The dispute is framed by the CFA, which is supported by several upper Nile Basin states but rejected by Egypt, and is further complicated by the independence of Southern Sudan.

• Ethiopia plans to build the Great Millennium Dam on the Nile River, approximately 40 km from the Sudanese border, with a projected electricity production capacity of 5,250 megawatt.
• Egypt has reacted to the dam announcement with threats of international pressure or military action, demanding technical and environmental studies to assess the impact on its Nile water quota.
• A central point of contention is the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), signed by Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and later Burundi. Egypt rejects the CFA, specifically disputing the wording of Article 14 (b) regarding the protection of water security for other Nile Basin States.
• The document argues that the 1929 and 1959 agreements, which granted Egypt and Sudan a monopoly over Nile water, violate international principles of 'equitable and reasonable use' and the 'obligation not to cause significant harm'.
• The independence of Southern Sudan adds complexity to the regional water dispute, as Southern Sudan may demand its own share of Nile waters, while North Sudan faces the loss of irrigable lands and water resources.

APA

Tadesse, D. (n.d.). Tension Between Ethiopia and Egypt Over New Dam in the Nile. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/tension-between-ethiopia-and-egypt-over-new-dam-in-the-nile

Chicago

Tadesse, Debay. Tension Between Ethiopia and Egypt Over New Dam in the Nile. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/tension-between-ethiopia-and-egypt-over-new-dam-in-the-nile.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tadesse |first1=Debay |title=Tension Between Ethiopia and Egypt Over New Dam in the Nile |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/tension-between-ethiopia-and-egypt-over-new-dam-in-the-nile |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tadessendtension, author = {Tadesse, Debay}, title = {{Tension Between Ethiopia and Egypt Over New Dam in the Nile}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/tension-between-ethiopia-and-egypt-over-new-dam-in-the-nile}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }