The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), located on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia, is a massive hydroelectric project designed to generate electricity and provide irrigation water. Expected to be completed in 2023, it is Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam. However, the GERD has been a source of ongoing controversy since construction began in 2011.
Egypt and Sudan, both downstream from Ethiopia, have expressed concerns that the dam’s operation may reduce the water available to them. Ethiopia argues that the dam is vital for meeting its growing energy demands and insists that it won’t significantly impact water access for its downstream neighbors. While a Declaration of Principles was signed by Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan in 2015 to govern the dam’s operation, details on its management have remained unresolved.
Tensions escalated in 2020 when Ethiopia began filling the GERD reservoir without an agreement with Egypt and Sudan, leading to a diplomatic crisis. Both Egypt and Sudan even threatened military action if their water access was significantly compromised. This complex issue, marked by entrenched positions and a lack of trust among the involved nations, has proven challenging to resolve, with the international community actively engaged in mediation efforts. Ethiopia asserts its sovereign right to build the GERD without consent, Egypt fears severe economic and security repercussions, and Sudan is concerned about water access and potential flooding.
Here are some news articles and explainers on this complex issue:
The Conversation – Ethiopia’s dam dispute: five key reads about how it started and how it could end.
The Yale Review of International Studies – The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Approaches to Cooperation and Conflict Resolution
Bloomberg – Why Ethiopia’s $5 Billion Dam Has Riled Its Neighbors
Arab News – Egypt highlights dangers of work on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Politics Today – The World’s Longest River Could Dry Up: The Nile Dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia
BBC News – Egypt angry as Ethiopia fills Nile dam reservoir amid water row
AP News – Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan resume negotiations over a disputed dam
Brookings – The controversy over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
DW – Ethiopia’s GERD dam: A potential boon for all, experts say
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – The Nile Dispute: Beyond Water Security
ABC News – ‘No other alternative’: Egypt worries as climate change, dam project threaten Nile water supply
The Washington Post – Africa’s largest dam powers dreams of prosperity in Ethiopia — and fears of hunger in Egypt
The Conversation – Ethiopia’s dam dispute: five key reads about how it started and how it could end.
The Yale Review of International Studies – The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Approaches to Cooperation and Conflict Resolution
Bloomberg – Why Ethiopia’s $5 Billion Dam Has Riled Its Neighbors
Arab News – Egypt highlights dangers of work on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Politics Today – The World’s Longest River Could Dry Up: The Nile Dispute between Egypt and EthiopiaBBC News – Egypt angry as Ethiopia fills Nile dam reservoir amid water row
AP News – Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan resume negotiations over a disputed dam
Brookings – The controversy over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
DW – Ethiopia’s GERD dam: A potential boon for all, experts sayCarnegie Endowment for International Peace – The Nile Dispute: Beyond Water Security
ABC News – ‘No other alternative’: Egypt worries as climate change, dam project threaten Nile water supply
The Washington Post – Africa’s largest dam powers dreams of prosperity in Ethiopia — and fears of hunger in Egypt
