SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Foreign Policy - The United States Must Not Pick Sides in the Nile River Dispute
Addisu Lashitew, a research fellow at the Brookings Institution, calls for Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt to join forces and build a lasting agreement that will advance their shared water interests.
With Sudan lacking a major dam on the Nile, it is taking the side of Ethiopia “for the first time in Nile politics,” as Sudan stands to enjoy the benefits of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) at the expense of Egyptian water supply and electricity generation.
To reduce “bickering”, “outside support for national agendas,” and mitigate climate change vulnerabilities such as erratic rainfall, Lashitew calls for a Nile agreement that is part of a cooperative framework for greater regional and economic integration.
Lashitew suggests that trade and investment incentives and the joint development of dams can strengthen trust, and optimise and coordinate water usage. Lashitew also suggests that economic integration would mitigate against potential hostilities if severe water shortages arise.