NAMA Slams Egypt’s “Colonial-Era” Claims

August 15, 2025

ADDIS ABABA — The National Movement of Amhara (NAMA) has reaffirmed Ethiopia’s sovereign right to develop and utilize the Nile River, denouncing what it described as Egypt’s “outdated and unjust” claims rooted in colonial-era agreements.

In a statement issued yesterday, NAMA said Ethiopia’s projects, including the Abbay Dam, are essential for energy security, agricultural modernization, and industrialization, and are fully aligned with international law.

The group rejected Egypt’s continued reliance on the 1929 and 1959 Nile Waters Agreements, which Ethiopia never signed, saying the treaties have “no legal or moral standing” under modern principles such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (1997). This convention upholds equitable and reasonable use of shared water resources.

NAMA accused successive Egyptian governments of using “security threats, propaganda, and destabilization” to block Ethiopia’s development. It also dismissed recent remarks by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in which he warned against any reduction of Egypt’s Nile share as “hyperbolic and hypocritical.”

“Ethiopia too has millions to lift from poverty, for whom Nile development is indispensable,” the statement read, stressing that the Abbay Dam is designed for hydropower generation, a non-consumptive use that benefits downstream nations through improved water regulation.

NAMA called for Egypt to join the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), describing it as the only sustainable solution for fair resource sharing. The group urged the African Union, BRICS, the EU, and the UN to reject Egypt’s “obstructionism” and back Ethiopia’s lawful right to develop its resources.

To the Ethiopian government, NAMA appealed for transparent communication on external threats to the dam, national unity, and resolution of internal political differences. “The Abbay Dam is a symbol of our unity, security, and sovereignty,” it said, urging Ethiopians to view the project beyond partisan lines.

Addressing the Egyptian public, NAMA said: “The Nile should unite, not divide, our nations. Ethiopia seeks equitable cooperation, not conflict.”

The statement concluded that Ethiopia remains committed to peaceful, lawful solutions, but will not yield to “coercion or unjust demands.”

“The time for just and fair utilization of the Nile is now. Ethiopia will not be deterred,” NAMA declared.

BY ESSEYE MENGISTE

THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 15 AUGUST 2025