The Nile: More discord in prospect

By on May 17, 2010
Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania agreed on the sharing of the Nile waters, in spite of the boycott of Egypt and Sudan, and signed an agreement – in negotiation for ten years between the neighbouring countries of the Nile – planning for a fairer sharing of its waters.

Egypt and Sudan, who estimate to have “Historical rights” on the Nile which go back to the treaty of 1929 (elaborated by the British) and then amended in 1959 to attribute 87 % of the waters to Egypt and Sudan. Kenya has asserted its support for the new text, without signing it for the moment.
Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and RDC have always disagreed and disputed the older treaty the unfair water distribution. Led with difficulty for ten years, the negotiations between the ten countries of the Nile basin have finally ended in mid-April in a draft agreement, but immediately rejected by Egypt.
Cairo and Khartoum are afraid that their water supply to be drastically reduced with the new framework agreement, which plans numerous projects of irrigations and hydroelectric dams in countries upstream to the river…

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