The water dispute between the countries of Egypt and Ethiopia dates back hundreds of years ago but it wasn't until the early spring of 2013 that relations between both countries escalated. The Nile River flows mainly through Egypt but also through Ethiopia. Ethiopia interrupted the rivers flow because of the construction of their Grand Ethiopian River Dam. Construction of said dam began in April 2011 and is expected to be open in the summer of 2017. Sudan is also involved in this affair because in 1959 they signed the Nile Waters Agreement which gave them 25% of the rivers flow leaving 75% to Egypt and none to Ethiopia. Although this was an official agreement it currently has no jurisdiction because currently the Ethiopian government and several private corporations also control a percentage of the rivers flow. Right now the main problem regarding the dam is that the Ethiopians need the water to provide essential energy for the countries development and the Egyptians need the water for wheat production which feeds over 60 percent of Egyptian families. Rainfall in the Nile region is almost nonexistent and Egypt is currently the biggest wheat importer meaning that they eat the most bread in the world. They consume 18 million tons of wheat annually and more than half comes from abroad. After Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia use the rivers water there is only a small amount which eventually empties into the Mediterranean. This problem is currently being handled in negotiating sessions with representatives speaking for his own country respectively in an attempt to not start a water war. The first round of negotiating began November 4th and an agreement is still far from being met. The representative for Ethiopia stated that his country's dam isn't causing any harm to any downstream countries. The meeting didn't end on a sour note but a sense of tension is still in the air which will probably be displayed in future negotiating sessions.
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| Construction on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam |
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| The Nile flows through Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia |
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| The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam |
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