Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute: implications, negotiations, and mediations

ABSTRACT

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has created disputes between the Nile River's lower and upper riparian zones in North Africa. Ethiopia sees the GERD as a project to prosper, while Egypt considers that it will imperil the country’s economy. After the African Union (AU) failed to resolve the disputes over GERD, the matter reached to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) which, after discussions, stated that the matter should be resolved at the regional level. This paper examines the theoretical and conceptual aspects of transboundary river waters and why riparian states shy away from cooperative arrangements. The paper then discusses the history of water disputes in the Nile Basin region and analyses the history of water distribution and projects in North and eastern Africa. Finally, the paper analyses the role of other countries, the AU, and the UNSC in disputes over the GERD project.

KEYWORDS:

• African Union
• Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
• Nile River
• United Nations Security Council

Acknowledgement

The author thanks the peer reviewers for their comments on the initial drafts of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Article 34 of the UNSC says “The Security Council may investigate any dispute, or any situation which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute, in order to determine whether the continuance of the dispute or situation is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security.” United Nations, “United Nations Charter” accessed at https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text.

2 UAR was a political union including Syria and the Gaza Strip. The Union was in existence from 1958 to 1961. In 1961, following the coup, Syria seceded from the UAR. Ten years later, in 1971, Anwar Sadat dissolved the UAR.

3 Tigray region lies in northernmost Ethiopia where ethnic Tigrayans live in conflict. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), originally formed in the 1970s, is pushing for the region’s self-determination. This often leads to clashes between the Ethiopian State and TPLF members, causing deaths and displacement.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amit Ranjan

Amit Ranjan is Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.