Egypt will never allow Nile water to be touched: El-Sisi to Uganda president - Foreign Affairs
Speaking at a joint press conference in Cairo with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, El-Sisi underlined Egypt's complete rejection of unilateral measures in the Eastern Nile Basin, which Cairo has sought to keep as a source of cooperation, not conflict.
'Anyone who imagines that Egypt will turn a blind eye to an existential threat to its water security is mistaken… We will continue to monitor the situation and take all measures provided for under international law to safeguard our people's existential resources,' El-Sisi warned.
El-Sisi's remarks were referring to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Cairo fears will drastically reduce its share of Nile waters.
Egypt has previously described the Ethiopian measures on the GERD as a clear violation of international law, particularly the rules related to the fair and equitable use of international waterways and the prohibition of causing harm to neighbouring countries.
A decade of negotiations between the downstream nations and Ethiopia has failed to produce an agreement balancing water security for downstream nations with Ethiopia's development targets.
In December 2023, Cairo announced the end of the GERD negotiation track due to Ethiopia's persistent rejection of any proposed technical or legal solutions.
In July, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources Hani Sewilam expressed the country's firm rejection of Ethiopia's repeated unilateral measures after Addis Ababa announced the completion of its multi-billion-dollar mega-dam, with plans for official inauguration in September.
Between 2020 and 2024, Ethiopia unilaterally completed the dam's five-stage filling and began operating two turbines, without an agreement with its downstream nations, Egypt and Sudan.
Nile Basin countries' development
During the press conference, El-Sisi said that 'We agreed that water is very important, and that development is also important. Our position has been clear from the start — we have never rejected the development of our partners and brothers in the Nile Basin countries. We have no problem with that, as long as such development does not affect the amount or share of water reaching Egypt.'
Quoting Museveni, El-Sisi said: 'President Museveni pointed out that the water falling on the basin — whether the Blue Nile or White Nile — amounts to 1,600 billion cubic metres annually. This water is divided between forests and swamps, agricultural use, evaporation, groundwater recharge, and only a small portion — about 85 billion cubic meters, roughly 4 percent of the total — reaches the White and Blue Nile.'
'When we demand that this amount reach Egypt and Sudan for livelihood — as we have no other source — does that mean we are rejecting development in the basin countries or their use of water for agriculture or electricity production? Of course not,' El-Sisi asserted.
'We have never talked about a fair distribution of all 1,600 billion cubic metres; we are talking only about the remaining, which doesn't exceed 4–5 percent… We do not say 'us and them' — we are all together, living, growing, and cooperating for the prosperity and stability of our countries.'
El-Sisi recalled Museveni telling him that in Uganda, Egypt means "the garden." "This garden has no other water source than the Nile—we have no rain," he said. 'No one can imagine that Egypt would abandon it. Giving up any part of it would mean giving up our life—and that will never happen."
Egypt's annual water needs exceed 90 billion cubic metres, while its Nile share stands at just 55.5 billion. Per capita water availability is under 500 cubic meters per year—well below the United Nations' (UN) water poverty threshold of 1,000, according to recent remarks by Egypt's foreign minister.
El-Sisi expressed hope that the seven-nation committee led by Uganda would reach a consensus to ensure the benefit of all basin countries.
This committee is part of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and engages with countries that have not yet ratified the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), also known as the "Entebbe Agreement.'
'Those who have rain will never feel what it is like for those who do not. The Egyptian people are extremely cautious and concerned about water, and I am responsible, along with my brothers and wise leaders like President Museveni, to find a solution that never harms the lives of Egyptians.'
He warned that Egypt faces 'significant pressures' over this issue.
Water may be part of a campaign to achieve other objectives, El-Sisi said, adding that 'we are fully aware of this.'
'We have always been against interfering in others' affairs, against conspiring against others, and against destruction. We are for building, cooperation, and development, as our African countries have suffered enough from years of conflict and fighting.'
'Once again, I reassure Egyptians that we will never allow the waters that sustain 105 million Egyptians and about 10 million guests to be touched. We do not call them refugees,' El-Sisi concluded.
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