Ethiopia dismisses Egypt's 'colonial' claims as Nile dam row deepens

By Sadik Kedir

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) – Ethiopia delivered a scathing diplomatic rebuke to Egypt on Wednesday, accusing it of destabilizing the Horn of Africa to maintain a "colonial" monopoly over the Nile River.

The statement from Addis Ababa marked the latest escalation in a bitter war of words that has intensified since Ethiopia officially inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in September.

In its press release, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged that Egyptian officials are employing an "obsolete playbook" aimed at creating "pliant, weak and fragmented client states" to do Cairo's bidding.

"Steeped in a colonial era mentality, some Egyptian officials think that they have a monopoly over the waters of the Nile," the ministry said, dismissing Egypt's invocation of "historical rights.”

The latest rebuttal follows a series of fierce condemnations from Cairo since the dam's completion, including a formal protest to the UN and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty’s accusation at the UN General Assembly in September characterizing Ethiopia’s actions as a primary threat to African peace and regional stability.

Following the Sept. 9 inauguration of the GERD, Abdelatty submitted a formal protest to the UN Security Council labelling the dam's operation an "unlawful unilateral act" and warned that "any misconceptions that Cairo would turn a blind eye to its existential interests...are pure delusions."

Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation further accused Addis Ababa of "reckless" management, blaming uncoordinated water releases for severe flooding in neighboring Sudan.

Cairo argued that these actions violated international law and posed direct threats to downstream populations.

Ethiopia, which views the nearly $5 billion dam as a symbol of national pride and essential for electrification, has steadfastly rejected these charges in various statements.

"Ethiopia has no obligation to seek permission from anyone to use natural resources found within its borders," the Foreign Ministry said in its latest statement Wednesday, asserting that 86% of the Nile's waters originate in the Ethiopian highlands.

The statement also reaffirmed Addis Ababa’s commitment to "fair, reasonable and equitable utilization" of the river, urging Egypt to abandon its "campaign of destabilization."