US President Donald Trump wrote to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Friday, offering to mediate the Nile River water dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia.
“In the spirit of our personal friendship and America’s commitment to the peace and well-being of the Egyptian people, I am ready to restart American mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia to responsibly resolve the ‘Nile Water Sharing’ issue once and for all,” he wrote to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a letter posted on Trump’s Truth Social Account.
“My team and I understand the profound importance of the Nile River to Egypt and its people, and I want to help you achieve an outcome that will ensure the water needs of Egypt, the Republic of Sudan, and Ethiopia long into the future,” Trump wrote.
“The United States reaffirms that no state in the region should unilaterally control the precious resources of the Nile at the disadvantage of its neighbors,” the letter reads.
Hoping for a “durable agreement,” Trump went on to mention in his letter that he believes that with the right technical expertise, fair and transparent negotiations, and a strong United States role in monitoring and coordinating between the parties, “we can achieve a lasting agreement for all the peoples of the Nile Basin.”
“A successful approach will guarantee Egypt and Sudan predictable water releases during droughts and long dry years, while allowing Ethiopia to generate very substantial amounts of electricity, some of which can be given or sold to Egypt and/or Sudan,” the US president said.
Trump, who once called Sisi “my favorite dictator“, thanked the Egyptian president for his leadership in successfully brokering a truce between Israel and Hamas.
what’s going on
According to Reuters, the inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Addis Ababa on September 9 was a source of anger in Cairo, which lies downstream of the Nile.
Ethiopia, the continent’s second most populous nation with more than 120 million people, sees a $5 billion dam on a Nile tributary as central to its economic ambitions.
Egypt says the dam violates international treaties and could cause droughts as well as floods, which Ethiopia denies.
Trump has praised Sisi in the past, including during a trip to Egypt in October to sign an agreement related to the Gaza conflict. In public comments, Trump echoed Cairo’s concerns about the water issue.
(With input from agencies)
(TagstransLate)Egypt-Ethiopia Dam Issue