CAIRO: They came, they met and they failed for the fifth consecutive time. The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) ministers met in Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday in another attempt to come to agreement on a water-sharing deal, but Egypt refused to renegotiate an 80-year-old treaty that ensures they receive the lion's share of water from the Nile River. According to the country's MENA state news agency, the 10 nations failed to agree on a new deal, instead saying they will look for closer cooperation instead. Burundi's Environment Minister was disturbed at the proceedings, blaming Egypt for the lack of a new agreement that would give upstream nations, including his, a larger proportion of water for irrigation and development. “Egypt is continuing to act as if they can do whatever they want, but the time is soon coming where they will not be able to dictate our water consumption, especially if they treat us this way,” said Minister Degratias N’Duimana. Ugandan Minister of Water and Environment Maria Mutagamba, in her opening speech at the meeting in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh called on her counterparts to sign the agreement without further delay. But Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Nasr el-Din Allam repeated Egypt would not budge from its share of 55.5 billion cubic meters of water from the river, which is much more than the majority of water available from the river. Last month they met in Uganda. In December it was Tanzania and before that, Alexandria. The results were the same: nothing. This time around, it appears to be more of the same, after Egypt’s Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Nasr el-Din Allam told reporters Egypt would not budge from what other member states argue are archaic agreements made by colonizing powers. “The Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement must clearly recognize Egypt and Sudan’s historic share of Nile water,†Allam told reporters last weekend. Making matters more worrisome for the upstream nations, Allam said “Egypt will not sign any deal before its conditions are met,†adding that Cairo’s “requirements include the commitment to the early notification mechanism before constructing any projects in upstream countries and that all decisions are to be finalized unanimously, not through majority voting.†This means Egypt and Sudan could veto any and all projects along the Nile if their wishes are met. Until a 1959 agreement with Sudan was inked, Egypt was guaranteed 48 billion cubic meters of water, in accordance with a British-sponsored treaty in 1929, while they ruled the country. Following the 1959 deal, this was increased to 55.5 billion cubic meters, while Sudan is allotted 14.5 billion cubic meters. Cairo has refused to sign onto any convention without assurances by other members that the country would not lose the 55.5 billion cubic meters of Nile water they are allowed to use and demanded a veto power over any projects implemented upstream in southern Nile nations. The ministers at the Alexandria conference said they would give it six months before reconvening to discuss new possibilities to a water-sharing agreement. The hope is the 9 nations can agree to a new treaty that establishes a new foundation for the use of the Nile River. The NBI was established in 1999 by the water ministers of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to “achieve sustainable socioeconomic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources.†Eritrea, which is home to a small portion of the basin and led a war against Ethiopia from 1998 through 2000, is not an active participate in the initiative. According to the official website, the NBI seeks to “develop the river in a cooperative manner, share substantial socioeconomic benefits and promote regional peace and security. Cooperative water resources management is complex in any international river basin. In the Nile Basin, which is characterized by water scarcity, poverty, a long history of dispute and insecurity and rapidly growing populations and demand for water.†The NBI’s main supporter is the World Bank. The NBI’s other 7 nations, excluding Egypt and Sudan, want to establish a commission that would change water consumption among the basin nations, but Egypt’s ministry of water and irrigation have other ideas. Now, more than 6 months on from the Alexandria conference, an agreement seems as elusive as ever for the other 7 nations. Once hailed as geo-partnership that could be emulated across the globe, the NBI has turned into an organization that must figure out its differences before it can move forward. BM
