Egypt protests Ethiopia's dam launch, writes to UN Security Council

Egypt has said that it has submitted a letter to the UN Security Council warning against Ethiopia’s operation of its new Nile dam, describing the move as a “breach” of international law.

In the letter, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Addis Ababa’s inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was “an unlawful unilateral act.”

“Any misconceptions that Cairo would turn a blind eye to its existential interests in the Nile are pure delusions,” the letter said, stressing that Egypt “will not allow Ethiopia to impose unilateral control over shared water resources.”

Cairo said it reserves the right to take all measures permitted under international law and the UN Charter “to defend the existential interests of its people.”

Ethiopia launches GERD

The ministry said that while Egypt has exercised maximum restraint and chosen diplomacy over confrontation, Ethiopia has “pursued intransigent positions, stalled negotiations, and sought to impose a fait accompli.”