Egypt protests to the Security Council about Ethiopia's plans for the third filling of the Renaissance Dam

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Ethiopia had informed it of the start of the third filling of the Renaissance Dam, and said that it had directed the UN Security Council to object to Ethiopia's plans to fill unilaterally without an agreement with Egypt and Sudan.

Cairo and Khartoum are insisting on first reaching a tripartite agreement on filling and operating the dam to ensure the continued flow of their annual share of the Nile waters. However, Addis Ababa rejects this and affirms that its dam, which it began construction about a decade ago, does not aim to harm anyone.

And the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated, in a statement, that Minister Sameh Shoukry sent a letter on Friday to the United Nations Security Council to register Egypt's objection and complete rejection of Ethiopia's unilateral continuation of filling the Renaissance Dam.

The ministry added that Egypt received a letter from the Ethiopian side on July 26, stating that it would continue filling the Renaissance Dam reservoir during the current flood season, a measure that Egypt rejects.

She stated that this filling is a clear violation of the Declaration of Principles Agreement concluded between the three countries in 2015, and a grave violation of the rules of international law, accusing Ethiopia of having thwarted all efforts and endeavors made to resolve this crisis, and demanded it comply with the rules of international law.

The ministry insisted on the need to reach an agreement "that achieves the interests of the three countries and not tolerate any prejudice to Egypt's rights or water security," and called on the Security Council to "assume its responsibility in this regard."

Ethiopia carried out the second filling in July 2021, a year after another similar one, amid Egyptian-Sudanese rejection as "unilateral measures".

Since the project was launched in 2011, the Renaissance Dam has sparked conflict with Sudan and Egypt, which depend on the Nile for their water resources.

The US special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, arrived in Ethiopia on Friday, where he will try to facilitate a diplomatic solution to the dispute over the dam.