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Waters of Contention: The GERD and Its Impact on Nile Basin Cooperation and Conflict
by
Amna Almesafri
Amna Almesafri 1,
Sohaila Abdulsattar
Sohaila Abdulsattar 2,
Alia Alblooshi
Alia Alblooshi 3,
Raed A. Al-Juboori
Raed A. Al-Juboori 4,
Nicholas Jephson
Nicholas Jephson 5 and
Nidal Hilal
Nidal Hilal 4,*
1
Division of Social Sciences, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
2
Division of Sciences, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
3
Division of Arts and Humanities, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
4
NYUAD Water Research Center, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, United Arab Emirates
5
Cardiff School of Management, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Western Avenue, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Water 2024, 16(15), 2174; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16152174 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 24 June 2024
/
Revised: 26 July 2024
/
Accepted: 29 July 2024
/
Published: 31 July 2024
Abstract
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River has become a focal point in the fields of water diplomacy, economics, and environmental considerations in the Nile Basin. Announced during the Arab Spring in 2011, the GERD aims to address Ethiopia’s significant energy shortfall and foster regional economic growth by potentially doubling the country’s electricity output. However, this ambition has heightened tensions with downstream countries, especially Egypt and Sudan, which rely heavily on the Nile for their water needs. This paper examines the ongoing conflict surrounding the GERD, focusing on the deadlock situation despite considerable scholarly attention to its economic, political, and environmental dimensions. The analysis presented in this paper reveals the roots of contention by analyzing past treaties and the present negotiation status, illustrating the complex interplay between development goals, environmental sustainability, and regional water security. The paper advocates for a revised legal framework that moves beyond past agreements towards a more inclusive, cooperative management strategy for the Nile’s waters. It proposes the development of a new treaty between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, grounded in their 2015 Declaration of Principles agreement and inspired by successful international dispute resolutions. It also discusses the potential of neutral third-party interventions to facilitate unbiased negotiations grounded in the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution, emphasizing the importance of equitable and sustainable water governance. In essence, this research calls for a collaborative approach to resolve the GERD conflict, emphasizing the need for agreements that harmonize developmental ambitions with the water security of the Nile Basin nations. .
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Almesafri, A.; Abdulsattar, S.; Alblooshi, A.; Al-Juboori, R.A.; Jephson, N.; Hilal, N.
Waters of Contention: The GERD and Its Impact on Nile Basin Cooperation and Conflict. Water 2024, 16, 2174.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w16152174
AMA Style
Almesafri A, Abdulsattar S, Alblooshi A, Al-Juboori RA, Jephson N, Hilal N.
Waters of Contention: The GERD and Its Impact on Nile Basin Cooperation and Conflict. Water. 2024; 16(15):2174.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w16152174
Chicago/Turabian Style
Almesafri, Amna, Sohaila Abdulsattar, Alia Alblooshi, Raed A. Al-Juboori, Nicholas Jephson, and Nidal Hilal.
2024. "Waters of Contention: The GERD and Its Impact on Nile Basin Cooperation and Conflict" Water 16, no. 15: 2174.
https://doi.org/10.3390/w16152174
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