Egypt's prime minister says Nile 'a matter of existence, not compromise'

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has characterized the Nile River as an existential necessity for Egypt that remains "not open to adventure or compromise" during heightened tensions with Ethiopia regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project. Speaking at the concluding session of Cairo Water Week Thursday, Madbouly emphasized Egypt faces complex water management challenges with over 98% dependency on the transboundary river system while confronting continuous population growth and declining per capita water shares below global scarcity thresholds.

Water distribution concerns

The Egyptian leader noted the Nile Basin receives approximately 1,660 billion cubic meters of annual rainfall, yet only 84 billion cubic meters – roughly 5% – ultimately reach Egypt and Sudan downstream. Madbouly criticized what he characterized as unilateral narratives and misconceptions regarding Nile water ownership promoted to justify individual management policies for shared water resources, specifically referencing Ethiopian positions without explicitly naming the country in his public remarks.

Scientific and legal arguments

Madbouly challenged assertions regarding "contributions" to Nile waters as contradicting established scientific understanding and international legal principles. The prime minister emphasized the river constitutes an integrated ecological system shared among all basin nations with balanced rights and obligations, rather than a resource granted by any single party to others within the watershed region spanning eleven African countries.

Diplomatic context and dam dispute

The statements follow Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's recent accusations that Ethiopia's dam operations harm downstream nations Egypt and Sudan. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, initiated in 2011 and formally inaugurated last month, remains a persistent diplomatic challenge with Egypt and Sudan advocating for legally binding agreements regarding reservoir filling and operational procedures, while Ethiopia maintains such formal arrangements remain unnecessary.