ISS Seminar, Addis Ababa: The Historical Dispute over the Sharing of the Nile: Breaking the Deadlock and Charting a Way Forward

Date: 2010-06-03

Venue: UNECA Large Briefing Room, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Seminar Jointly Organised by the ISS and the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EEIPD) 

The African Conflict Prevention Programme (ACPP) of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Addis Ababa Office cordially invites you to a joint public seminar co-hosted with EIIPD entitled The Historical Dispute over the Sharing of the Nile: Breaking the Deadlock and Charting a Way Forward

ACPP strives to promote and improve the quality of conflict early warning and prevention strategies and approaches in Africa by complementing the work of African Union (AU) member states, the AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) in Addis Ababa and other stakeholders.

Water scarcity has attracted the attention not only of Africa, but also the international community and is considered one of the major sources of conflict in the region. It is predicted that by 2025 about a billion people or nearly 50 percent of the world’s population will face water scarcity. Many believe that water scarcity is now "the single biggest threat to global food security". In fact, if the combined population of the three countries that the Nile River runs through Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt rises as predicted from 150 million today to 340 million by 2050, then, there could be an intense competition for increasingly limited water resources with threats of creating conflicts and instability in the region.

The Nile is the longest river basin in the world stretching about (6,825 km) or (about 4320 miles). It is estimated that the Nile River carries 84 billion cubic meters of water. The Nile has more riparian states (Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda) than any international river basin in the world. To date, there is no comprehensive agreement on the use of the Nile river water that binds all the riparian states. The few agreements between some of the riparian countries aim to secure the interest of Egypt and, to some extent, the Sudan almost to the total exclusion of the other riparian states.

Recognizing the tremendous benefits that can be reaped from cooperation, yet fully aware of the challenges ahead, various regional and sub-regional initiatives of the continent have put their efforts to mitigate water related conflict that are prevalent in Africa. These include the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) among others.

The Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement is designed to replace the 1929 colonial treaty as well as the 1959 bilateral agreement between the Sudan and Egypt which is at the heart of the dispute. These agreements have given Egypt and Sudan veto power over upstream projects that could affect the flow of the water. The recent Extra-Ordinary Nile Council of Ministers (Nile-COM) meeting in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in April 2010 which many hoped will be a breakthrough, resulted in a deadlock over equitable utilization of the Nile water.

As a result, following this meeting on May 14, 2010, four of the upper Nile Basin riparian countries (Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania) signed new Nile water sharing agreement in Entebbe, Uganda and a week later Kenya jointed them. The agreement could reverse both the 1929 and 1959 agreements between Sudan and Egypt. However, Egypt and Sudan say they well not sign a new deal unless they are first guaranteed an exact share of the water. In fact, Egypt has dismissed the Entebbe agreement, saying it "is in no way binding on Egypt from a legal perspective."

Against this backdrop, this seminar will review the current status of the Nile basin Cooperative Framework Agreement, identify institutional and political challenges facing the implementation of this agreement, review the implication of the Entebbe Agreement and dialogue on strategies to enhance better cooperation and coordination between the Nile riparian states. In addition, the seminar aims to improve awareness and knowledge about the added value of cooperation and consolidate the gains from the ongoing formal and informal engagement and suggest the way forward. Presenters will be drawn from governments, diplomats, policymakers, academia and the Nile Basin Initiative.

The ISS Public Seminar Series is a part of the ACPP`s efforts at consensus building by providing a platform for sharing information, encouraging policy debates and dialogue on Africa`s peace and security agenda. The aim is to stimulate quality discussion, in-depth and constructive interaction between participants, experts and policymakers.

You are invited to participate in this important discussion. Please forward this invitation to interested colleagues.

Please note that discussions occur under the ISS House rules, which means no attribution without specific permission