Ethiopia of Aphox Egypt over Neil Wed with its powerful dam

After a decade over a decade after the decade, Ethiopia has officially opened one of the largest dams in the world on the Nile River influx, burying a colonial era that saw the UK that guarantees the country of North Africa Lion’s share of water.

Dambo – built on the blue Nile worth about $ 5 billion (3.7 billion pounds), with a reservoir of approximately the size of London – led to the flash of Ethiopian nationalism, combining the nation, often polarized through ethnic lines and experienced conflict.

“The Ethiopians may disagree with how to eat the indera (their main food), but they agree with the dam,” said BBC Moses Krispus Okela, analyst at the South Africa South Africa Research Institute.

“They do not perceive this a bunch of concrete in the middle of the river, but as a monument to their achievement, because the Ethiopians, both at home and in the diaspora, financed the construction of the dam. There were waves and waves for deposit when the construction began in 2011.

“The government also issued bonds that were purchased by companies and workers. Thus, the feeling that all the Ethiopians had a dam has grown in geometric progression, and its inauguration is a source of great pride for the nation,” said Mr. Okela.

Named the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Platinum (HERD), it is the largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, increasing the hopes that not only will meet 135 million energy needs, but also give the country “energy hegemony” and increase profits from foreign currency, the analyst added.

He said Ethiopia planned to increase the sale of electricity to neighboring countries such as Kenya and Djibouti, with ambitions to build a transmission network to cross the Red Sea to sell states in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia, he said.

But for Egypt, the dam is a reverse hope and ambition of Ethiopia.

This fears that the dam can dramatically reduce the flow of water into the country, causing water deficiency.

“About 93% of Egypt is a desert, virtually no people. All of us, 107 million, live in Nile,” said the geologist of the University of Egypt, Professor Abbas Sharaki.

“Egyptian civilization was built on Nile. Neil is our life,” he added.

Academic warns that “poverty of water” may deteriorate in Egypt from the dam.

“It retains 64 billion cubic meters, from the water that usually goes into Egypt. This is a very large loss for us. Our average annual share is 55.5 billion cubic meters. We have no other water source,” said Professor Sharaki.

He added that Gerd retains “about twice as much water in the Platinum” Three Gorge “in China, which is the largest dam in the world’s electricity.”

Former Ethiopia negotiator on GERD Fececomeda Negash told the BBC that despite the huge diplomatic pressure and even threats of war from Egypt, Ethiopia adhered to its plan to build a dam because it was vital for its development needs.

This includes electricity providing 60% of ethiopians that do not have access to it, but it noted that it will be not easy, as the transmission network should be built throughout the huge country with rocky and mountainous terrain.

Professor Sharaki said that, despite the fact that the blue Neil was an “international river”, Ethiopia made a “one -sided” decision to build a dam – what he managed to do only because at the time Egypt suffered from the revolution, which led to the overthrow of the long -standing leader Hosn Mubarak.

“Egypt was in a very bad situation, without the president, and our military were busy inside the country,” he said, adding that the North African state took measures to find alternative sources of water – including the construction of the world’s largest cleaning station and drilling.

Egypt was also forced to make changes to its agricultural sector – for example, reducing the area for growing rice, which is intense water, with approximately two million hectares, the academic reports.

“If you store 64 billion cubic meters of water that previously came to Egypt, will it not be harmful?” Professor Sharaki noted, dismissing Ethiopia’s statements that the North African country would not adversely affect the dam.

Mr. Fechemed said BBC that Ethiopia would not return in the era if Egypt was guaranteed a certain amount of water, but “it was always open to negotiate the release of water and the safety of the dam.”

Rashid Abda, an analyst at the Kenyan Analytical Center for Sakhan’s research, said the end of the GERD heralds the end of Britain – the colonial power at the time – made about 80% of the Nile’s Egypt in the 1920s.

“Britain has done this to put Egypt and provide its own interests because Egypt is a strategic state that controls the Suez channel, the gateway to Europe,” Mr. Abda in the BBC said.

“But Ethiopia is now a power, while Egypt’s happiness has fallen. It has lost its privileged status over the Neil,” he said.

In 2011, Mr Akela called “political Maual”, Prime Minister Ethiopia Meles Zenova plans to build what he simply called “project X”, bringing the process that led to the loss of the “veto” of the Nile’s water.

“Egypt was massively lobbying for institutions such as the World Bank, so as not to finance the construction of the dam. It simply strengthened the determination of the government of Ethiopia, and it began a great desire to raise funds from its citizens,” he said.

“Thus, Ethiopia received money from different domestic sources, as well as a small Igad contribution (regional East Africa, an intergovernmental body). If he received money from other sources, he does not talk about it loud,” Mr.

US President Donald Trump claims that the United States is “firmly funded by the” platinum construction, and it “significantly reduces” the water entering the Nile River, repeating Egypt’s concern – a strong ally.

Ethiopia rejected its claim as “false”, Insisting the platinum was self -financial.

Mr. Okela said Trump tried to make a transaction for the dam during his first term, but Ethiopia – at Prime Minister Abii Ahmed, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for the cessation of hostilities with Eritrea – left when he felt that the US president had visited Egypt.

“Trump felt embarrassed. He wanted the Nobel Peace Prize, but not only ABA, but also did not give Trump,” Mr. Okela said.

On the eve of Gerd’s inauguration on Tuesday, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badry Abdelati strengthened the government rhetoric against the dam, saying that water safety was a “red line”, and the dam posed an “existential threat” to the North African state.

However, Professor Sharaki ruled out Egypt to go to war with Ethiopia.

“They are our brothers. We drink from one water. Neil goes from them,” he said, adding that Egypt would continue to try to resolve the dispute through negotiations.

Mr. Fecamemed said Egypt could not bomb the GERD, because it will be “suicidal” for the country – like a Sudan bordering on Ethiopia – because all the water water would break out and “destroys” two countries.

The Egyptian geologist expressed fear that Ethiopia could use the dam to exercise “military power”, especially over Sudan – a strategically important ally for Egypt – how the blue Neil and White Nile in Khartoum are found.

“If there is a tension or conflict between Ethiopia and Sudan, Ethiopia can destroy Sudan through this dam without weapons and planes,” said Professor Sharaki.

He also caused concern that the GERD could start a “new earthquake system”.

“If you store 64 billion cubic meters of water, it means 64 billion tons of weight in the area with volcanic rocks, a lot of fractures and the world’s largest gap, East African rift, which is an active rupture,” said Professor Sharaki.

Earlier, Ethiopia stated that studies showed that Egypt’s problems are unjustified and the dam is far from the earthquakes.

Thus, the Ethiopians are unlikely to allow Egypt to reduce the mood if they are preparing to note the inauguration of the dam and focus on the next purpose – to restore access to the Red Sea, which Ethiopia lost when Eritrea gained independence in 1991.

Last week, the Prime Minister Ether said he would give up the Red Sea – “an error that will be fixed tomorrow.”

“The problem of seaport is no longer for what you need to be ashamed. The global perspective is clear – there is no big country without access to the port, and you need to contact the negotiations,” Abby added.

Eritrea rejected his comments as a “ill -advised sabotage”, against the backdrop of the Bay, that the relations between the two countries – who fought with the border war, which killed tens of thousands of people in the late 1990s – worsened again.

Mr. Okela said that the nationalist pathos among the platinum begins to see in the Red Sea company.

“Ethiopia built a dam despite the chances,” he said.

“Now he wants to access the sea and create a military -marital power. It is not clear how it will do it, but Ethiopia sees itself a great nation, and not many great peoples who went out.”