The statements of reassurance from Egyptian officials do not stop to their citizens regarding the negotiations of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, while the reality indicates that Egypt has not achieved anything from the hopes of its people through years of these negotiations, which Ethiopia seems to be running as it wishes.
Two days after the sudden postponement of the last round of negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry tried to reassure the Egyptians about this file, stressing that the Egyptian authority will continue to give it priority, and that it will continue negotiations and is keen through it to preserve Egypt's water interests.
The Renaissance Dam file became more prominent and urgent after Ethiopia put Egypt before a fait accompli, and last month it had already begun filling the dam lake, which Egypt fears its negative impact on its share of water, especially as it relies on the Nile River to meet about 95% of its needs, whether for water. Drinking or watering.
Egypt was involved in numerous negotiations that began with a tripartite and then ended with negotiations sponsored by the African Union, during which Egypt resorted to the UN Security Council without achieving any breakthrough.
On the other hand, criticism has escalated on the Egyptian authorities' communication sites, headed by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who many hold responsible, especially since he agreed to Ethiopia to build the dam when he signed the Declaration of Principles agreement in 2015, and was keen not to present it to the Egyptian people, whether through a popular referendum or Even submitting it to Parliament.
Commentators considered that Sisi has already neglected Egypt's historical rights from the Nile waters, and that the negotiations that have been taking place for years and intensified in recent months are nothing but an attempt to distract the Egyptians and give them some hope, while Ethiopia continues to work and achieve what it wants with the policy of imposing a fait accompli.
# The Nation Movement
⭕ The path of the Renaissance Dam is like the path of the Palestinian cause, so the strategy is the same:
1. Imposing the reality of (building the dam), then a round of negotiations to gain time, which ends with a de-facto agreement
2. Imposing another new reality (the rules of filling and operating) and then a round of negotiations for anesthesia and gaining time, which also ends with a reality recognition agreement pic.twitter.com/hhdFdQQLDX
- Mahmoud Fathy (@ MahmoodFathy01) August 5, 2020
1/3
Building and then filling the Renaissance Dam, and years of futile negotiations without any benefit, O God, but Sisi and his gang are drugging the people and laughing at them until the dam is being constructed, and
at the same time the government begins frustrated options to compensate for the drought that hits the door of Egypt, like, for example, Tahlia Sea water or sewage treatment,
followed
- Abu Al-Fateh Al-Akhrasi (@al_akhrasi) July 26, 2020
The construction of witches to transport water down the canal continues, what does that mean? !! Absurd negotiations for the people to quench Egypt's thirst, or bring water to the Zionist entity
- Hassn (@ Hassn10889076) July 28, 2020
Egypt refused to participate in the negotiations of the Renaissance Dam, and after hours, Egypt participates, and then postpones participation in the negotiations for a week, and the Egyptian people prepared a little on the side of slapping, and the pardoned Sisawiya did not eat it.
- Green apple (@ Green_Apple_22) August 10, 2020
Political analyst Essam Abdel-Shafi described the current negotiations as absurd, and said in an intervention with Al-Jazeera Mubasher that what is happening now is just a prolongation of this absurdity until Ethiopia achieves all its goals, indicating that a look at the past confirms that Ethiopia is indeed moving towards what it wants.
Many water experts and observers in Egypt have previously expressed their belief in the futility of these negotiations, and that they are truly pointless even if they continue for years to come.
# Evening ..
Dr.. Essam Abdel-Shafi: The negotiations of the Renaissance Dam are closer to political absurdity because they give the Ethiopian side full legitimacy to do whatever it wants # Egypt # Sudan # Ethiopia pic.twitter.com/pVpLeOWf0r
- Al Jazeera Mubasher (@ajmubasher) August 10, 2020
Some observers sought to explain the strength of the Ethiopian position as it appeared on the ground, as they considered that the first reason is related to Addis Ababa's perception of the weakness of Egypt's position and its lack of pressure papers, as the big card was the military option, which Sisi avoided repeatedly before they explicitly called on the Egyptians not to The threat is even on social media, in addition to the fact that this option has become delayed after the dam began to actually store water and turned from an under construction project to an existing water dam, bearing in mind that international law criminalizes striking these facilities even in times of war.
Others also spoke of another reason for the weakness of the Egyptian position related to the weakness of the home front since the 2013 coup that Sisi led when he was defense minister, during which he overthrew President Mohamed Morsi, who was the first elected president after the January 2011 revolution.
Despite the objections of Egypt and Sudan, Ethiopia announced on July 21 that it had completed the first phase of filling the reservoir, amounting to 4.9 billion cubic meters, which allows testing the first two turbines in the dam.