Egyptian warning of “direct threat” over Ethiopia’s control of Nile flows..
GERD crisis escalating since 2011.. Egyptian warnings of additional dams threatening water shares
Former Egyptian Minister of Water Resources Mohamed Nasreddin Allam described the Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy’s statements regarding control over Nile water flows to downstream countries as a “direct threat” to Egypt and Sudan and a “dangerous escalation” against both countries.
Allam said, in a comment on the Ethiopian statements, that Addis Ababa’s talk about putting the Nile flows heading to the two downstream countries “under Ethiopian control and management” gains additional seriousness in conjunction with talk of plans to build new dams on the Blue Nile.
Additional dams could affect the river’s natural flow
He explained that building additional dams could lead, in his estimation, to the retention of water quantities before reaching Egypt and Sudan, in addition to losses related to evaporation and seepage, which could affect the river’s natural flow.
Allam linked the statements to the Egyptian position rejecting any unilateral Ethiopian water constructions on the Blue Nile, warning that the continuation of this approach could increase tensions in relations between Ethiopia and both Egypt and Sudan.
Control over Nile flows
The former Egyptian minister’s statements came after statements reported by Arab media from the Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy, in which he spoke about Addis Ababa’s approach to controlling Nile water flows heading to downstream countries, along with proceeding with plans to build additional dams, within what Ethiopia describes as a strategy to exploit its water resources.
The issue holds special sensitivity for Egypt, which relies primarily on the Nile River to meet its water needs, while Cairo stresses that any water projects on the river’s sources must not affect its flows or cause harm to downstream countries.
GERD crisis escalating since 2011
The new escalation comes amid the ongoing GERD crisis, which Ethiopia began constructing on the Blue Nile in 2011, and has since become a long-standing point of contention between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, with no legally binding agreement reached on the rules for filling and operating the dam and dealing with drought periods.
Ethiopia considers the GERD a strategic project for electricity generation and supporting economic development, and insists on its right to exploit its water resources, while Egypt and Sudan demand an agreement that ensures no harm to their water interests and establishes clear rules for managing the river’s flows.
Warning against widening the dispute
Allam warned that moving from the dispute over the GERD to talk about creating a system of additional dams could widen the scope of the conflict, so that it is no longer limited to a single facility and its operating rules, but extends to the nature of managing Blue Nile flows and the structures built on it.
The former Egyptian minister also criticized what he described as “Ethiopian statements and spasms,” linking the escalation of rhetoric, from his perspective, to the political and security developments in the Horn of Africa region and the increasing regional and international movements there.
In a new escalation of tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the Ethiopian GERD crisis, a responsible Egyptian source warned of “Ethiopian plans to control Nile water flows.” https://t.co/GG4LTi5dsR
— Asharq Al-Awsat (@aawsat_News) August 16, 2026
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