Nile River Basin CFA Takes Effect, but Two States Reject It

 Addis Insight published on 13 October 2024 an article titled "A Landmark Moment: Nile River Basin Commission Formed as CFA Takes Effect."

The Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) took effect as of 13 October following ratification by six of the ten members.  Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and South Sudan have now ratified the CFA.

Members that have not yet ratified the CFA are Egypt, Sudan, the DRC, and Kenya.  Eritrea is an observer of the Nile Basin Initiative.  

Nova News published on 13 October 2024 an article titled "Africa: Egypt and Sudan Reject New Nile River Deal that Just Came into Force."

Egypt and Sudan quickly rejected the CFA, arguing that the six-state commission is not representative of the Nile Basin as a whole.

For the text of the CFA visit here. 

Comment:  It is not clear where this leaves the CFA with Sudan and Egypt rejecting it and Kenya and the DRC not yet ratifying it.  

Nile Water Security and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

 The Jurist published on 1 February 2023 an analysis titled "Egyptian Water Security and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Why Ethiopia Has the Upper Hand" by Elliot Winter, New Castle University. 

This article considers water security in the context of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).  It provides a brief history of the GERD; outlines the role of the Watercourses Convention, which neither Ethiopia nor Egypt has signed; explains the significance of the Nile Waters Treaties; sets out the main legal arguments for Egypt; and provides the main legal arguments for Ethiopia.  It concludes that Ethiopia's legal position is far stronger and that a negotiated agreement in its favor is the most likely outcome of the dispute.  

An Ethiopian Response to the Nile Water Dispute

Ethiopia Insight posted on 8 December 2019 a commentary titled "Sink or Swim: Unlocking the Nile Impasse" by Mahemud Tekuya, University of the Pacific.

The author, an Ethiopian, argues that if the current effort to resolve differences between Ethiopia and Egypt fails over the fill rate behind the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, Ethiopia should not agree to accept mediation by the United States and the World Bank as both tend to favor Egypt. He suggests that the Nile Basin Initiative or the African Union would be a more neutral mediator. Alternatively, Ethiopia could ask the International Court of Justice to rule on the validity of the 1902, 1929, and 1959 treaties that govern Nile water allocation but were never agreed to by Ethiopia.

Turkish View of Nile Water Issues

Traditional reed boat on Blue Nile river. Flickr/Marta Semu

Turkey's Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies published on 7 June 2013 a brief analysis titled "Egypt, Ethiopia and Blue Nile." The author is Seyfi Kilic, a research specialist in the Water Research Program.  Although some of the English is a bit odd, it offers a useful analysis from a Turkish perspective.

Bloomberg Article on Nile Water

Bloomberg published on 17 June 2013 an extensive article titled "Egypt's Nile Threats Weaken to Secure Water Case: Shinn."  The authors are William Davison and Salma El Wardany. 

William Davison did a followup article on 18 June 2013 titled "Ethiopia Agrees with Egypt, Sudan to Study Nile-Dam Impact."