Egypt erupts in fury over Ethiopia's plans for three more Nile dams

Egypt's fury has erupted over Ethiopia's plans to construct three additional Nile dams, with official media in Cairo suggesting military action may not be ruled out. Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, relies heavily on the Nile for its freshwater needs and is concerned about potential reductions in its share of the river's waters due to Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd).

Although the reservoir behind the Gerd has not significantly impacted Egypt's share of Nile water so far, Egypt fears this could change if a prolonged drought occurs. The Gerd and the new dams are situated on the Blue Nile, the river's primary tributary and the source of around 85% of the water reaching Egypt, one of the world's driest nations.

Ethiopia insists that the dams are part of its development plans and does not pose a threat to Egypt or Sudan. However, Egypt's government source has warned that Ethiopia's plans to control the Nile's flow pose a dangerous intention and threaten the rights of the two downstream nations. Egypt's army, one of the largest in the Middle East, has not yet stated any concrete action plans, but President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has ruled out military action, emphasizing diplomacy.

Despite a decade of negotiations, a legally binding agreement between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia remains elusive. US mediation efforts have also not produced results, as the Trump administration focuses on other crises. Social media has been filled with calls for Egypt to use force to prevent Ethiopia from building the new dams, with images of warplanes, naval ships, and special forces in combat gear circulating online.

Egypt has been actively seeking to pressure Ethiopia into showing flexibility on the water dispute, strengthening ties with other Horn of Africa nations, and boosting military cooperation with Ethiopia's rival Eritrea and the nation of Djibouti. Ethiopian experts estimate that the three proposed dams would have storage capacities of 30 to 40 billion cubic meters each, while the Gerd has a capacity of approximately 75 billion cubic meters.

Egypt's share of the Nile water under a 1959 agreement with Sudan is 55 billion cubic meters annually.