Why I Defend Ethiopia’s Sovereign Rights Over It Water Resources and the GERD 😀

Ten years ago, Al-Jazeera sponsored an Arab and Africa Symposium in Doha, Qatar. I joined the forum at the invitation of Al-Jazeera. Its theme was to bring Arab and black African intellectuals and influencers closer.

A hot topic emanating from the start of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was “hydro hegemony”. Egyptian and Sudanese experts felt strongly that GERD would pose a threat to Egypt. Naturally, I defended Ethiopia’s sovereign rights over the Blue Nile and other transboundary rivers for the betterment of its people without harming Egypt or Sudan. Neither the Sudanese nor the Egyptians were convinced.

After the conference, Al-Jazeera published some of my articles, which included perceptions of both sides of the debate—Ethiopia and Egypt’s perceptions of Ethiopians and vice versa. These perceptions remain the same a decade later. Fortunately, GERD is no longer a mirage;

Below is a video of a western man dealing with GERD and its current status. I urge you to watch this informative video.

I commend Emperor Haile Selassie and the US Bureau of Reclamation for identifying hydroelectric power and irrigation projects on the Blue Nile (Abbe River); Meles Zenawi, the late Prime Minister of Ethiopia, for starting GERD; Haile Mariam Desalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, to sign a Declaration of Principles (DOP) with Egypt and Sudan, to protect the legitimate rights of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian diaspora around the world, to finance this $5 billion infrastructure project Did not bow to Egyptian pressure for the people of Ethiopia and for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed …

I have repeatedly argued that the way out of the standoff on GERD is not war but a Nile water sharing agreement among all 11 riparian countries at the earliest. The African Union and IGAD can play a constructive role in advancing this African agenda.

Eklog Birara, Dr.

(water and electricity extended)