CAIRO: Tensions rise between Egypt and Ethiopia as Addis Ababa approaches the diversion of water to a massive hydroelectric project on the Nile that has been the focus of a ten-year dispute over who controls the longest river in the world. ‘Africa
Talks between officials from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, hosted by the Democratic Republic of Congo, ended without an agreement on Tuesday and sparked a new round of heated rhetoric between the two countries.
The president of Egypt on Wednesday hinted at the possibility of conflict with Ethiopia, but said he preferred to cooperate on the issue.
“I tell our brothers in Ethiopia not to touch a drop of water from Egypt, because all options are open,” President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi told a conference in Cairo.
Addis Ababa began construction of the $ 4.8 billion Ethiopian Renaissance dam in 2011, part of what the government says is a critical development project that will bring electricity to tens of millions of people who currently rely on firewood as the main source of fuel.