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WATER POLITICS

Via Al Monitor, an article on a recent visit of the Egyptian water minister to the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is currently chairing the African Union, which is mediating on the dispute over Ethiopia’s dam on the Nile River:

Egypt’s water minister visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Thursday. Congo is currently chairing the African Union, which has the task of mediating between Egypt and Ethiopia on the Nile River dam dispute. 

Mohamed Abdel Aty said the visit exemplified Egypt’s desire to improve the lives of Congolese citizens.

“This important visit expresses Egypt’s belief of the necessity of reaching the highest levels of cooperation between the two countries to achieve sustainable development and raise the standard of living in Congo,” said Abdel Aty in a Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation statement.

Abdel Aty met Congolese Vice Prime Minister Eve Bazaiba in the capital, Kinshasa, and participated in an inauguration ceremony for a weather warning center, which will study climate change in the Central African state. The project was the result of an Egyptian grant aimed at boosting Congo’s ability to manage water resources, the Egyptian state-owned news outlet Al-Ahram reported. 

The visit is noteworthy due to Congo’s role in the negotiations on Ethiopia’s Nile River dam. The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s president, Felix Tshisekedi, is currently the chair of the African Union. The supranational body has the task of mediating the dispute involving Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. 

Ethiopia began the filling the dam last year and intends for the massive project to provide electricity to its population. The downstream nations Egypt and Sudan are concerned that filling the dam without an agreement will dangerously lower the Nile’s water levels in their territories.

Egypt has made it a priority to use diplomacy to win support for its position. During a United Nations Security Council meeting on the dam last week, member states called for the continuation of African Union-led negotiations on the matter.