Sudanese coordination – Egyptian problems and water safety – The face of truth – ✍️ Ibrahim Shaqlawi
Given the growing need to secure water resources and expand agricultural projects to obtain food security. Last week, the first consultative meeting of foreign ministers, irrigation and water resources in Sudan and Egypt in Cairo took place in a decision which reflects a common desire to improve cooperation in the water file and is faced with regional challenges linked to the Nile Basin and the Ethiopian Renaissance dam. This meeting came in the light of the continuation of Ethiopia in its unilateral policies linked to the dam without binding legal agreement which regulates the filling and operating operations, which prompted Sudan and Egypt to improve strategic coordination to protect their water interests. In this article, we are exposed to the most important maga of this meeting, given the challenges that Sudan is faced with the light of war and the most important trends of its plan the next day.
Sudan and Egypt have confirmed that the water safety of the two countries is an interconnected unit, which requires permanent coordination in regional and international positions, while adhering to international agreements the distribution of water in power. This vision reflects the concerns of the two countries that Ethiopia continues to make unilateral decisions which can negatively affect water flows, which has led them to emphasize the need to avoid any individual movement which affects their water interests. Their position is based on a certain number of historical agreements,
The most important thing is the 1902 agreement between Great Britain and Ethiopia, according to which the latter undertook to establish installations on the Blue Nile without the approval of Sudan and Egypt, as well as the agreements of 1929 and 1959 which identified the water shares of the two countries. The declaration of principles of the year 2015, that Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia signed concerning the Renaissance dam, underlined the need for a consensus on the functioning of the dam and the exchange of technical information, but the membership of it is always controversial, which makes the Sudanese requirements of Egyptian based on a legal frame Niche.
The discussions have dealt with recent developments in the Renaissance dam file, where the risks of unilateral filling have been discussed, in particular with regard to the safety of the dam and its potential effects on water flows. Sudan and Egypt have affirmed the importance of continuing joint diplomatic measures to find peaceful and political solutions far from climbing, with the need to achieve a just and compulsory legal agreement which preserves the rights of all parties. In the light of recent Ethiopian movements, such as the inclusion of the Renaissance dam visit to the activities of the day and Sudan, for fear of tensions, the region affects the stability of the region.
Discussions have extended to development files, while Sudan has examined its reconstruction plans, especially in the water -related sectors such as agriculture and electricity production. Egypt has expressed its desire to help support these efforts, in particular in the implementation of the decisions of the Arab water ministers for the improvement of water infrastructure in Sudan, which was seriously damaged by the war. In this regard, Egypt has good experiences with Sudan, as through the company of Arab subcontractors has built the Shendi-Mother bridge, in addition to developing Sudanese cement factories.
Improving water resources management in Sudan requires the improvement of investments in infrastructure development projects and the exploitation of groundwater, especially since Sudan has large groundwater reserves which can be a strategic alternative to the light of climate change and their effects on Nile flows, which allows the possibility of taking advantage of the rarity of water. International reports indicate that low rain rates in certain regions of the Ethiopian plateau can affect future blue Nile flows. On the other hand, Sudan faces growing challenges due to seasonal floods and droughts in certain regions, which makes it necessary to develop water resources management proportional to these variables.
The initiative of the Nile Basin was an important axis in the discussions, because Sudan and Egypt have expressed their interest in bringing it back to its consensual foundations, but the continuation of the differences between the signed countries and without license of the framework agreement has thrown a shadow on its future. The vision consists in converting the initiative into a commission which is not yet clear, in the midst of the variation of positions between the Member States, because Ethiopia and the Source countries call for the redistribution of actions, while Sudan and Egypt adhere to historical agreements.
In light of these challenges, the Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation must adopt effective stages to solve water safety problems and water resources management with greater efficiency, to deal with the challenges imposed by the reality of war, by the rehabilitation of irrigation and infrastructure projects to improve the efficiency of water use and reduce and the treatment of the fragility of water in certain states, and “Zero thirst”, which has started since 2017 and has not been completed due to political and security conditions.
It is also necessary to improve regional and international cooperation by initiating wider negotiations with the countries of the Nile Basin and donor countries, as well as to increase diplomatic measures to put pressure on Ethiopia through international forums to ensure a binding agreement on the functioning of the Renaissance fund in natural periods, periods of drought and Drowing extended.
One of the important results of this meeting is the agreement of both parties on the importance of continuous periodic meetings in the form of (2 + 2) to maintain a high degree of political and technical coordination, while organizing a high -level workshop to discuss the effects of water issues on regional security and climate change. These movements reflect a clear business to improve water safety between Sudan and Egypt to meet the growing regional challenges.
Despite the continuous impasse in the Renaissance dam file, the current diplomatic efforts reflect a desire to find lasting solutions, according to what we see in the face of the truth, the success of all these efforts remains hostage to the extent of the regional parties towards the rules of international law and the capacity of Sudan and Egypt to use the pressure documents available in international forums to ensure their water rights. And the optimal benefit of water resources, as well as the development of agricultural land, the exchange of experiences and training in the field of agricultural reform, these are the main factors to carry out the Renaissance and improve integration between the two peoples.
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Saturday March 1, 2025 AD (Protected by e-mail)
