{"id":121166,"date":"2025-09-10T11:08:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T11:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/09\/10\/egypt-petitions-unsc-over-gerd-launch-urges-respect-for-nile-rights\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T11:08:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T11:08:45","slug":"egypt-petitions-unsc-over-gerd-launch-urges-respect-for-nile-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/egypt-petitions-unsc-over-gerd-launch-urges-respect-for-nile-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Egypt petitions UNSC over GERD launch; urges respect for Nile rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 10\u2014 Egypt has condemned Ethiopia\u2019s inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), describing it as a unilateral action that violates international law and undermines the rights of downstream nations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a letter to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, Egypt\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, Dr. Badr Abdel Aati, said Addis Ababa\u2019s move to announce the completion and operation of the multi-billion-dollar dam disregards established international norms.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite all flimsy efforts to give the Ethiopian dam a false veneer of acceptance and legitimacy, the dam remains a unilateral measure that violates international law and norms,\u201d Abdel Aati said, stressing that Ethiopia\u2019s actions \u201cproduce no legal consequences\u201d affecting the governance of the Eastern Nile Basin.<\/p>\n

Construction of the GERD began in 2011, and the project is designed to generate 5,150 megawatts of electricity, making it the largest hydropower plant in Africa and among the 20 largest globally.<\/p>\n

Four turbines are now in operation, producing a combined 1,550 MW, with output set to gradually scale up to full capacity.<\/p>\n

Cairo reiterated its longstanding rejection of what it views as Ethiopia\u2019s \u201cunilateralism\u201d in the use of Nile waters, noting that the GERD project has proceeded despite the absence of a binding agreement with downstream states Egypt and Sudan.<\/p>\n

The Minister accused Ethiopia of pursuing \u201cintransigent positions\u201d and using the project as a political tool to mobilize its domestic audience \u201cagainst an imaginary enemy,\u201d under the pretext of sovereignty over the Nile, which he described as \u201cjoint property of its riparian states.\u201d<\/p>\n

Egypt stressed it has exercised restraint over the years by relying on diplomacy and international organizations, including the UN, not because of weakness but out of a conviction in the importance of cooperation among Nile Basin countries.<\/p>\n

\u00a0However, Cairo warned it will not compromise its \u201cexistential interests\u201d tied to the river and reserves the right to take \u201call measures guaranteed by international law and the UN Charter\u201d to defend its people.<\/p>\n

The Egyptian rebuke came just hours after Ethiopia held a high-profile inauguration ceremony for the $5 billion GERD, which Addis Ababa has hailed as a transformative project for energy security and regional development.<\/p>\n

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in his address noted that, \u201cEthiopia built the dam to prosper, to electrify the entire region and to change the history of black people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kenyan President William Ruto, who was the chief guest at the event, expressed Nairobi\u2019s support for constructive engagement among Nile Basin states.<\/p>\n

He framed the dam as a shared opportunity rather than a regional threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo country should be denied the opportunity to unlock a huge resource like the one that we are launching today because indeed it becomes a shared resource,\u201d Ruto said, calling on Nile states to sustain dialogue and cooperation.<\/p>\n

Ruto emphasized that Kenya recognizes the Nile\u2019s \u201ccentrality to the lives and livelihoods of millions,\u201d stressing the need for equity, mutual respect, and collective stewardship of trans-boundary resources.<\/p>\n

The GERD, Africa\u2019s largest hydroelectric dam, has long been a source of tension.<\/p>\n

Ethiopia sees it as a national symbol of progress, while Egypt and Sudan fear its impact on water security downstream.<\/p>\n

As Ethiopia celebrated what it calls a milestone for self-reliance and regional integration, Egypt doubled down on its rejection of unilateral measures \u2014 setting the stage for renewed diplomatic friction over the future of the Nile.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 10\u2014 Egypt has condemned Ethiopia\u2019s inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), describing it as a unilateral action that violates international law and undermines the rights of downstream nations. In a letter to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, Egypt\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, Dr. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121166\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}