Nile treaty turns sour for Egypt

Egypt’s officialdom appears stuck in a pharaonic mindset. This would explain the country’s intransigence in negotiations on the management of water in the Nile river basin.

Plausibly little genetic heritage of pharaonic era remains among Egyptians. However, claims to all the “River God” owns do. That’s why Egypt sticks to “traditional right” of the largest share of Nile river water.

Presumably, Egyptians still mummify the dead. Traditions die. The issue isn’t just the mighty Nile that provides Egypt with 95 per cent of irrigation and drinking water. The issue is management of water in the Basin.
The Basin covers an area of some 3,349,000 sq km. Ten countries, or parts of them, lie in it. These are Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. In the basin are streams that feed rivers and lakes that sustain the White Nile and the Blue Nile. At Omdurman, the two become the pharaonic “River God.”

Veto powers

The basin is home to about 300 million people. About a half live along the Nile Basin. Egypt says it can’t survive without its 87 per cent share of the water. It bases its claim on tradition and a 1929 treaty with Britain. The treaty aimed at pacifying Egypt in order for Britain to advance its interests.

Egypt also got veto powers over projects up river that it doesn’t like. It hasn’t liked any. The treaty is as obnoxious as any colonial machination. In any case, treaties are renegotiable depending on changed circumstances and facts. This is the case up river.

Come 1959 and Egypt and Sudan pulled off a stinker. Egypt increased its share to 55.5 billion cubic metres and Sudan got 14.5 billion. Impudence! Here is a case of pre-emptive thievish strike.

To side-step historic arguments, some intelligent people came up with the Nile Basin Initiative. It aimed at formulating a system of cooperation in as many aspects of development to manage the waters in the Basin for the benefits of all. The result is a proposed Cooperation Framework Agreement.

At a meeting in Sharm El Sheik last month, hopes were high Egypt will play ball. It balked and got poodle Sudan to go along. Cairo’s proposed commission unrelated to any agreement makes little sense. What will the commission do? As if that wasn’t enough, Egypt threw diplomatic tantrums.

Water and irrigation minister, Mr Mohammed Nasreddin Allam, declared Egypt reserves the right to take whatever action necessary to defend, as it has done historically, it’s right to Nile river water. Up river peoples have a history and rights, too.

Were Egypt to continue getting its share, which it wouldn’t outside an agreement, the country will still run into a water shortage crisis.
One of Egypt’s best options, other than say desalination, is to get into a deal with up river nations that would make water resources in the Basin sustainable. Sabre-rattling is as out of place today as mummies in pharaonic tombs.

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