NILE BASIN COUNTRIES IN DEADLOCK IN ALEXANDRIA AS EGYPT AND SUDAN FOR THE SECOND TIME THWART ANY AGREEMENT ON THE USE OF THE SHARED WATERS OF AFRICA’S LONGEST RIVER.
News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
FOR the second time in less than three months, the Water Ministers from the nine Nile Basin countries failed to reach any agreement on a new framework for water sharing, following what an observer described as “intense lobbying by both Egypt and the Sudan.”
The water Ministers met early this week in the Egyptian City of Alexandria. A similar meeting was held last June in the DR Congo capital Kinshasa, which was marred by mass walkout of the Egyptian and Sudanese delegations led by their respective Ministers in charge of waters. It was then agreed that another meeting be held in Egypt within the shortest possible period of time.
The Water Ministers instead decided to delay the signing of the proposed accord for another six months to give sufficient time for the countries to reach a compromise, according a Kenyan participant. “Before that, our technical advisers will sit down, brainstorm together and come up with a technical agreement to be signed during the next meeting”, added the Kenyan delegate, who request that his name should remain anonymous.
Egypt, and to a lesser extent Sudan, are putting up a strong resistance against attempts by other Nile Basin countries to modify their shares of the river waters per the 1929 and 1959 treaties. The 1929 agreement signed between the British Empire and Egypt stipulates that no project on the Nile River waters should be undertaken by any Nile Basin countries that would impact negatively on the volume of water reaching Egypt.
Legal experts say that the agreement is binding to Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo, despite the fact that most these countries were not independent at the time, and were still the British colonies.
Thirty years later Sudan and Egypt amended the agreement that enabled the construction of the Aswan Dam, close to the border between the two countries.
And the then the slightly modified 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan states that no projects are allowed on the Nile by any other countries without the consent the Egyptian government.
It has been reported that some Nile Basin countries are mulling over resorting to the International Court of Justice at the Hague to resolve the dispute over the agreements.
The issue of water is a highly sensitive matter in Egypt and the latter has historically stated that they would go to a full scale war if its Water share is affected by any kind of wanton interference from any quarters.
With almost 80 million people, Egypt’s water demands are projected to exceed its supply by 2017, according to a recent government report published earlier this month.
Other Nile Basin countries, some of which suffer periodic droughts, drafted the cooperative Framework Agreement in June at a Democratic Republic of Congo summit that omitted mention of Egypt and Sudan’s historic claims.
News Agencies yesterday quoted the Sudan Irrigation and Water Minister Kama Ali Mohamed, as saying that his country was able to convince its peers to agree on delaying the signing of the CFA for six months. He added that the Nile Basin countries will form working groups to narrow any differences that emerged during previous meetings.
But another source quoted Egyptian deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs, Mona Omat as saying that there is no way Egypt would allow a reduction of its quotas.
Egypt also sought to downplay the differences after the summit, and said it is proposing economic incentives to the countries involved. “It is normal that there are disagreements.
FOOTNOTE: The 1929 Nile waters agreement was signed between Egypt and Great Britain, which represented at the time Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika{now Tanzania}and Sudan.
Another agreement was signed in 1959.This gave Egypt rights to 55..5 billion cubic metres of Nile waters per year and Sudan 15.5 billion cubic metres annually.
The 1983 framework was concluded between Egypt and Ethiopia from which 85 per cent of Egypt water originates.
The Nile Basin Initiative was formed in 1999. It brings together Nile Basin countries to develop the river in cooperative manner, share socio-economic benefits and promote regional peace and security.
The Nile meeting in May over the new framework flopped after Egypt and Sudan delegates staged a mass walk out.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 5:33 PM
Subject: EGYPT AND SUDAN SHOOT DOWN ANY AGREEMENT ON THE SHARED WATERS OF RIVER NILE