Egypt has stepped up its fight with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), telling the United Nations Security Council that Addis Ababa’s unilateral operation of the massive project violates international law.
In a letter sent on Tuesday, Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, accused Ethiopia of brushing aside repeated calls for a binding deal on how the dam should be filled and managed. He warned that Cairo would never accept any attempt by Addis Ababa to seize control of the Nile, which Egypt depends on for almost all of its water.
Calling the GERD inauguration “an unlawful unilateral act,” Abdelatty stressed that any belief that Egypt would compromise its survival needs was a dangerous illusion. For Cairo, any disruption to the Nile’s flow is more than a political matter — it is a direct threat to national survival.
The letter also made it clear that Egypt reserves the right to take “all measures permitted under international law and the UN Charter” to defend its people’s interests. While no specific steps were listed, the tone signalled that Cairo is ready to apply more pressure if its concerns are ignored.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia celebrated what it called a historic milestone. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially inaugurated the GERD, a project 14 years in the making. He described the dam as a symbol of national pride and a foundation for driving Ethiopia’s economic growth through electrification and regional power exports.
But Egypt and Sudan remain firmly opposed, warning that Ethiopia’s unilateral moves could cut water supplies downstream. Years of negotiations, led by the African Union and backed by global players, have repeatedly ended without a binding agreement.
By taking the matter to the Security Council, Cairo has signalled that this is no longer just a regional water dispute but an issue with global implications. The escalation shows that tensions over Africa’s largest hydroelectric project are far from over.
