El Sisi says Egypt's share of Nile water is 'historical and legal' right

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has declared his nation's Nile water share to be an "historical and legal" right that cannot be negotiated or altered, amid ongoing tensions with Ethiopia over the river's allocation. In a televised address, Sisi emphasized Egypt's deep dependency on the Nile as its primary freshwater source, stating that the river is "Egypt's lifeline and the foundation of its very existence."

The Egyptian leader reiterated that Egypt's water share, currently 55.5 billion cubic meters per year under a 1959 agreement with Sudan, is a "stipulated historical and legal right that cannot be diminished or interfered with." While Egypt maintains a willingness to collaborate with fellow Nile basin nations, Sisi warned that Cairo will not stand idly by any actions threatening its water security and will defend these rights through any means permitted by international law.

The dispute over the Nile's water allocation intensified when Ethiopia commenced construction of a dam on the Blue Nile, which accounts for over 80 percent of the river's water reaching Egypt. Egypt and Sudan have been urging Ethiopia to accept a legally binding agreement granting them a stake in dam operations, a demand rejected by Addis Ababa as an encroachment on its sovereignty.

Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia have escalated in recent days, with Addis Ababa accusing Cairo of supporting an anti-government rebellion, a claim Egypt and its allies have denied. The Egyptian president's remarks came shortly after Ethiopia's foreign ministry issued a defiant statement reaffirming the country's sovereignty over the Blue Nile and its "legitimate" right to the Red Sea, which it relinquished upon Eritrea's secession from Ethiopia in 1992.

Ethiopia's ministry argued that geographic and historical ties necessitate its continued involvement in regional maritime affairs and security architecture. The comments seemed to be a response to a statement issued after Sisi met with the leaders of Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan in Egypt, during which the four countries vowed to maintain control over the Red Sea exclusively.