Page 35 - Nile Explorer Issue 006

Africa

and their ‘masters’ as well as treaties
made among themselves, as legal
foundation of their right to monopoly
of the Nile waters, Egypt and Sudan,
has over the years laid claim to the Nile
waters. Indeed, the use of the Nile River
has for centuries been monopolized
by the lower riparian countries that
claim ‘historic right’ over the waters on
the basis of the treaties, thus building
tensions among the riparian countries.
Uganda’s Museveni flanked by the leaders of Egypt and Ethiopia, outlines the importance of cooperation.
The upper riparian countries which Work to reconcile the Nile Basin countries will continue in Burundi, at the next summit. PHOTO PPU
are sources of the water were for long
alienated from their own vital resource. River Basin. South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda
These riparian countries, especially against the lower riparian states of
Ethiopia, strongly reject these treaties In order to counter Egypt’s claim of Egypt and Sudan—Sudan has since
and label them as nullified, antiquated the Nile River water on the basis of broke ranks with Egypt—recognizing
and as having no legal effect on the use the ancient treaties and agreement the right of Ethiopia to construct the
of the Nile. Ethiopia was not one of The with Sudan, The Nile Basin Initiative Renaissance Dam, giving credence to
British colonies, which then included (NBI) was born on February 22, 1999, the claim by the upper riparian states.
Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, and what in Dar-es-Salam, Tanzania, following
was known as Anglo- Anglo-Egyptian the signing of the minutes of the Moreover, South Sudan—formally part
Sudan. meeting by nine of the Nile ministers of Sudan—pronounced itself in 2012, as
of water resources in attendance. The not recognizing both the 1959 bilateral
In fact, various Egyptian leaders have NBI was established as a transitional agreement between Egypt and Sudan
threatened to go to war to protect these arrangement to foster cooperation and and the treaties between Great Britain
so-called “acquired rights.” Upstream sustainable development of the Nile and Egypt. It subsequently joined
riparian states such as Kenya, Tanzania, River for the benefit of the inhabitants what is known as the Nile River Basin
Uganda, and Ethiopia, have argued of those countries. The NBI is guided by Cooperative Framework Agreement
that they are not bound by these a shared vision “to achieve sustainable (“CFA”), the same year, a document
agreements because they were never socio-economic development through which Egypt refused to ratify. Egypt
parties to them. In fact, shortly after equitable utilization of, and benefit froze its participation in the bloc in
independence from Great Britain in from, the common Nile Basin water 2010.
1961, Tanganyika’s (now Tanzania, resources.” The NBI was facilitated
after union with Zanzibar in 1964) new by a number of donors led by the The main source of disagreement by
leader, Julius Nyerere, argued that the World Bank and the United Nations Egypt of the Agreement is related
Nile Waters Agreements placed his Development Programme (UNDP). to water security. Article 14 of the
country and other upstream riparian The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a CFA requires the Basin states to work
states at Egypt’s mercy, forced them partnership among the Nile riparian together to ensure that all states achieve
to subject their national development states that “seeks to develop the river in and sustain water security. However,
plans to the scrutiny and supervision a cooperative manner, share substantial this paragraph did not satisfy Egypt and
of Cairo, and that such an approach to socioeconomic benefits, and promote Sudan who wanted to ensure, through
public policy would not be compatible regional peace and security”. an additional clause, that their existing
with the country’s status as a sovereign uses and rights - 1929 and 1959, Sudan
independent state. All the upstream The Nile River water dispute therefore, Egypt agreement - are fully protected
riparian states have since argued in pits the upper riparian of Burundi, under the CFA. Consequently, Egypt
favor of a new, more inclusive legal Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, and Sudan demanded and insisted that
framework for governing the Nile Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Article 14 of the CFA should include a

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