As negotiations over the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam intensified and Egyptians became increasingly anxious about the waters of the Nile and the future of their country, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi tried to reassure the Egyptians and dispel their anxieties, using popular terms such as “nobody can take the lion’s food,” and indicating interest in lining canals and banks to save water.

But it seems that the Egyptians' anxiety is increasing, especially with Sisi not presenting a clear vision to deal with the crisis, and being content with continuing to negotiate, while emphasizing the exclusion of the military option that was promoted by those affiliated with the regime in the media and communication sites, which Sisi also criticized as Egyptian politics is damaged in the Renaissance Dam crisis.

During the opening of a spinning and weaving factory today, Tuesday, Al-Sisi expressed his understanding of the legitimate Egyptians' concern about the Renaissance Dam crisis, but assured them of the justice of the issue, and demanded that they do more work as the anxiety increased, adding, "No one can take the food of the lion, and the lion is not speaking, everyone." In its position it is a small lion, we are all a strong and large lion, and thus no one will be able to oppress our rights to life and not only in water. "

Al-Sisi rejected the threat of military action, criticizing the Egyptian media's talk about military action regarding the Renaissance Dam, stressing that Egypt is in a real battle that will be a long-running negotiating battle, but in the end Egypt will not sign anything against its interests.

He added that Egypt's interest is for all countries to benefit from the Nile River, and that the damages be divided among all, not on one side, and that "this should be our media orientation, and not talk about military action, because goodness comes from there."

Egypt has recently witnessed assurances from Sisi supporters that the regime is ready to deal militarily with the Renaissance Dam crisis in the event of negotiations failure, stressing that the arms deals that Egypt recently acquired and criticized by some will be the champion of the Renaissance Dam battle, such as the Mistral helicopter carrier and the warplanes. Rafal ", as well as the refurbishment of the land naval base in Berenice, the southernmost point of the country.

Escape to the inside

Despite attempts to reassure, Sisi did not provide solutions to deal with the stalemate in the negotiations, but he turned the conversation into the Egyptian interior about the necessity of maximizing the use of water through wastewater treatment plants, and reducing water waste in agriculture by adopting modern irrigation methods and lining canals and drains.

He talked about the government's plan to face the water crisis because of the expected population increase, noting that the volume of expected investments in water until 2037 amounts to more than one trillion pounds (the dollar is about 16 pounds).

Al-Sisi stressed that facing the challenges comes with "unanimity and a conscious, understanding, and provocative mass for the benefit of her country, keen on its security and stability", stressing that security and stability do not only mean an army fighting or police, but also the participation of youth in preventing people from dumping waste in canals and banks.

Egypt recently witnessed a government campaign to rationalize water consumption and increase the penalty for those who wasted it, which was considered by some as evidence of the stalemate in the Renaissance Dam negotiations, and the failure of the Egyptian government to have alternative solutions.

🌇 # Egypt_Projects |
President Sisi: The Egyptians' concern about the Renaissance Dam is a project and we will not overlook our right to water, and we are in a negotiation battle and we must be strong to preserve our rights, not by threat but by work, and we work in parallel on projects to provide water for future expansions and confront the population increase. ”Pic. twitter.com/ctQ7N33w79

Egypt Projects (@EgyProjects) July 28, 2020

Increased anxiety

Al-Sisi's speech was matched, as usual, by a controversy on social media between supporters and opponents. While supporters went to praise and support, opponents considered it a declaration of failure and bankruptcy, and some compared Sisi’s threats to military intervention in Libya and his desire to continue negotiations without a ceiling with Ethiopia.

Assad does not have the right structures, and the crisis of the Nahdha Dam will be resolved by negotiation. There
must be a military intervention. For the
first solution , a national security issue. We will destroy the saying that the Nile is
alive and the second, because Turkey has interfered there.
No words are said after all that has been said # Dam_Ennahda

- Mentally advanced (@shivabpm) July 28, 2020

For everyone who was waiting for Al-Sisi to destroy the Renaissance Dam of Ethiopia today, he declared that Ethiopia has the right to build the dam and generate electricity with love and sincerity. So you understood the message of the leader of the coup, may God have mercy on the martyr, Mohamed Morsi, who said that the Nile’s water decreased, a drop of our blood is the alternative.

- Abdullah Saeed ABDELLAH SAID (@ ABDELLAH13SAID) July 28, 2020

A message to His Excellency President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi,
your honor. Before this, I imagined with Abi Ahmed and reassured us, and then his cell swore and reassured us, and now we are reassured on the basis of what I want.

- Mentally advanced (@shivabpm) July 28, 2020

The Egyptian leadership's response to the failure of the Renaissance Dam negotiations went a red line

- Omar (@ Omar07557791) July 28, 2020

Al-Sisi puts an end to everyone who was counting on a military solution and the army intervened to solve the issue of the Al-Nahdha Dam. Negotiating this will not exceed political negotiations only a point and from the beginning of the line, and in the other it will tell you, "The lion is not eating and eating .. And no one can do for us"
. Nozha !! # Al-Nahda Dam

- Dr. Hussam Fawzi Jabr (@ hfg5555) July 28, 2020

What do I say and what do I say and by what truth do I say that we gave them the opportunity to salute the lion who has gone and swore the heroic Prime Minister of Ethiopia # Dam_Ennahda

- The sweet heart (@ Theswee28354430) July 28, 2020

Asad Ali Al-Ghulaba, the peaceful, who do not have a weapon, they defend him against themselves !!! A cat is broken in the negotiations of the Al-Nahdha Dam and my country's dog is Ali Al-Fadhi in Libya

- Nahlah (@ 2_bee22) July 28, 2020

# Dam_Annahdha The army unifies the country in 6 hours,
which is close to it, from Ali, what is the land? The
talk is to the people, not to the enemies.
You are also afraid of the media. Even if
God will be merciful, the meeting will be aired for ridicule.
Ignorance works more than that.

- And where about creation oblivious (@ mohamedouda50) July 28, 2020

In statements to Al-Balha regarding the Renaissance Dam! No one from the media threatens to hit the Renaissance Dam that the battle to negotiate the Renaissance Dam will be prolonged and the media warn of the threat about the Renaissance Dam. I am not surprised by your statements and you are printing with them in order to thirst Egypt # client

- Umm Salami (@salsmsalamsalam) July 28, 2020

Thank you, Sisi, for his frankness. There is no military option. # Dam_Al-Nahdha for the committees and the Almazi, like Sharif Sarafi Kandil, others do not shock our brain by Rafal Mistral in the military bases in Eritrea.

- Jalal (@ Jalal51934879) July 28, 2020

Sisi requests the cohesion of the internal front to overcome the problem of the Renaissance Dam !! This is on the basis that it is not the cause of this disaster

- Nahlah (@ 2_bee22) July 28, 2020