Tensions have been brewing between Egypt and Ethiopia after Ethiopia announced plans to build three new dams on the Nile. These dams, the Karadobi, Mandaya, and Beko Abo, add to years of quarrels over dams between Ethiopia and downstream countries. A notable example was Sudan's and Egypt's reaction to the GERD (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam). They see another country controlling their water supply as an existential threat that could leave them without a substantial water source.
Both Egypt and Sudan have already expressed concerns regarding the GERD, as Ethiopia has not made it a priority to share information about water releases, which is needed to operate their own dams and water storage, according to Al Jazeera. Egypt claimed that building these dams and withholding information about them violates international law. This also comes at a time in which Egypt has been hit hard by the U.S.-Iran War, as the closure of the Bab al-Mandab has forced ships going from Europe to Asia to go around Africa. Given Egypt’s diplomatic approach to the dam situation and its limited economic leverage, Sudan is a key ally in preventing the construction of the new dams.
Nader Zaki, Egypt’s foreign affairs spokesperson, shared an official statement reaffirming that Egyptian foreign policy is fully based on respect for the sovereignty of all other countries, according to Ahram Online. He made these remarks in response to Ethiopian army chief Birhanu Jula, who suggested that Egypt, along with other regional countries, was working to fund military groups that oppose the current Ethiopian regime. Jula stated that the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, a left-wing Ethiopian paramilitary organization, would need the backing of Egypt and Sudan to have any success fighting against the current Ethiopian government. Fighting between rebel groups and the federal military in northern Ethiopia (near the Eritrean border) has intensified over the past months, leading to increased tensions across northeast Africa, according to Ahram Online.