Egyptian politicians caught in on-air Ethiopia dam gaffe – BBC
Egyptian politicians are embarrassed after being caught suggesting hostile acts against Ethiopia to stop it from building a dam across the Blue Nile. They were inadvertently heard on live TV proposing military action at a meeting
Egyptian politicians are embarrassed after being caught suggesting hostile acts against Ethiopia to stop it from building a dam across the Blue Nile.
They were inadvertently heard on live TV proposing military action at a meeting called by President Mohammed Morsi.
Ethiopia last week started diverting the flow of the river in preparation for the $4.2bn hydroelectric dam.
The Blue Nile is one of two major tributaries of the Nile.
On completion, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam would be Africa’s largest.
It is expected to produce 6,000 megawatts, and its reservoir is scheduled to start filling next year.
Apology
As the participants did not know that the meeting was being aired live by state TV, they spoke their minds unreservedly.
Their suggestions centred around military action as a decisive response to what one of them called a “declaration of war”.
One of the politicians suggested sending special forces to destroy the dam; another thought of jet fighters to scare the Ethiopians; and a third called for Egypt to support rebel groups fighting the government in Addis Ababa.
“This could yield results in the diplomatic arena,” liberal politician and former presidential candidate Ayman Nour told the gathering.
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat, the leader of the secular Reform and Development party, said the presidency should have warned the participants in advance that the meeting would be broadcast live.
“I am afraid most of the politicians who attended the meeting were not well informed about such a sensitive topic,” he told the BBC.
“But the statements made during the meeting do not represent the Egyptian official stance. It was just a chat between politicians who were angered by the Ethiopian plans.”
A presidential adviser apologised for failing to warn politicians.
“I am sorry for any unintentional embarrassment,” Bakinam al-Sharqawi said in a statement.
Egypt is the most populous country in the Middle East and highly dependent on the water of the world’s longest river.
Ethiopia’s decision to construct the dam challenges a colonial-era agreement that had given Egypt and Sudan rights to the Nile water, with Egypt taking 55.5 billion cubic metres and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic metres.
That agreement, first signed in 1929, took no account of the eight other nations along the 6,700km (4,160-mile) river and its basin.
Those countries have been agitating for a decade for a more equitable accord.
Abyssinian | June 6, 2013
My people Ethiopians/African’s people needs to know one thing, why Israel is a strong nation and defend its interest what ever it take, they know the mentality of Arabs and Islam, this Slave traders understand one thing force their no civility in their blood they are still on that slave trader mentality, so they need to smell the new reality of our era,if their oil is a natural resource, why African water doesn’t be the natural resource,let me suggest some thing to this Arab tugs, lets barter 1 liter of oil with liter of water, how do you like that, this is not empty imagination, Africans have unalienable rights to use their natural resource as they see it fit, where were they when
Ethiopians die by thousands on hunger and drought, I know they don’t have an answer cowards… so hell with your interest… for the Eritrean pimp in Asmara no problem their
day’s are very close. Shame on you Arab’s on African land.
Haile Belay June 6, 2013
Selam Aboy Keshi Mehretab,
When we were in Mendefera, we were always talking about Dr. Berhe Habtegiorghis, Dr Gideon and Dr. Sofia how they could not see our problems. We could not go to school, we could not work to help our families and were not allowed to leave the country. Now I am one of the very few lucky people who managed to scape to Sudan and then after few years to St. Louis. When I came to the US, I am happy to hear that the Doctors were not traveling like what we used to read on Dehai when we were in Mendefera. That is very good news because probably they understood that they were wrong.
But my problem is with the mothers in this country. They send their kids to schools but when they talk about the youth in Eritrea, they say they have to be in Eritrea to help build the country.
Last year, I went to Chicago to visit friends and I met adey Azieb and adey Marta. I think they have been in America many years and they brought their whole family to the US. All of their brothers and sisters are here. No body is in Eritrea to help the country to develop. I was mad at this mothers but I know this country has law and could not say any thing.
My question to Aboy Keshi Mihretab is, what do you say to this mothers? How can you help either send their kids and brothers to Eritrea to help the country develop or make them understand that the kids in Eritrea has the same needs as their family?
After all, we all are Eritreans.
Thank you very much
Reply ↓
mohammed negash June 6, 2013
african countries should refrain from solving their issue in a violent manner..there iswhat is called negotiation.it maybe foreign toeritra , but other african countries should practice it .
supprt-egypt June 7, 2013
Egypt has any right on its historic nile river.
egypt is the owner of nile river not ethiopia.
brave eritrean support Egypt, while coward and slave eritreans support
for ethiopia. as our president said.. nile is the historic river of egypt.
so for sure our government will support for any helps egypt needs.
viva Egypt stop any dam in ethiopia.
kahsay June 7, 2013
doma ras!
abel June 7, 2013
Historic? Not good for you cause,because Eritrea is also historically part of Ethiopia.
merhawie June 7, 2013
thanks GOD there are only few people like you in eritrea,
Zaul June 7, 2013
To give you an analogy about historic right: Would it be comparable to a divorced man tell his ex-wife’s new husband, that he has a historic right to sleep with her.
Contribution to the nile from different countries, Eritrea should definitely side with Ethiopia for “historic reasons” and because it’s one of the upstream countries. Every drop of water will be important in our region, that’s the hardest hit by climate change.
The name COPT is derived from the Greek name for Egypt [ግብጺ], Agyptios [ጀ is pronounced ገ in Egypt].
Egypt came under the dominance of Arab rulers with the spread of Islam in the 7th century. At the turn of the 8th century, Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan decreed that Arabic replace Koine Greek and Coptic as the sole administrative language. Literary Coptic gradually declined such that within a few hundred years, Egyptian bishop Severus Ibn al-Muqaffa found it necessary to write his History of the Patriarchs in Arabic. However, ecclesiastically the language retained its important position, and many hagiographic texts were also composed during this period. Until the 10th century, Coptic remained the spoken language of the native population outside the capital.
Persecutions under the Mamluks led to the further decline of Coptic, until it completely gave way to Egyptian Arabic around the 17th century though it may have survived in isolated pockets for a little longer. In the second half of the 19th century, Pope Cyril IV of Alexandria started a national Church-sponsored movement to revive the Coptic language. Several works of grammar were published, along with a more comprehensive dictionary than had been previously available. The scholarly findings of the field of Egyptology and the inauguration of the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies further contributed to the renaissance. Efforts at language revival continue to be undertaken, both inside and outside the Church, and have attracted the interest of both Copts and Muslims in Egypt.
Zaul June 7, 2013
Contribution to the nile from different countries
http://www.fao.org/docrep/w4347e/w4347e0k.htm
wedi zbansinkey June 7, 2013
i 100% support ethiopia.. i belive they have right to build a dam. egyptian they should stop booling. its not helful and they not going to achieve any thing here but in my opinion i thing ethiopian are they doing the right thing. in diplomatic way but i don’t know you guys but this what feeling right now hgdef is hangrie to do the derti work for egyptian as usual$$$$$$$
Truly truly i say to you June 7, 2013
part 1
This Nile river issue it needs deep political analysis. For me from the beginning it is Ethiopian wickedness when simply accepting the colonial powers injustice decision without claim to that which allows Egypt to be most beneficial, while the owner of the resource Ethiopia to which makes a 0% beneficial. Please where on Earth have been seen or heard such mockery of justice decides? If they call it this is a right justice why then they don´t decide from Saudi or Iran oil, poor nations like us in similar way like Egypt to be beneficiaries? I hope this time to most of you who haven´t capacity to analyze politic, this time i guess it could somehow verify for you, why for instance Ethiopia despite violates the international low by stubborning not to withdrew from occupied territory why stays unpunished or without critic, contrarily even you may ask why Ethiopia enjoying the good diplomatic approach and gets all kinds of support. For me the reason Eritrea victimizing is, not only in this border issue decision, even the reason the independent Eritrea in 1950´s that forced to be federated with Ethiopia, and then after they turned systematically Eritrea to be as the 14th province of Ethiopia is because needed to favorite Ethiopia as the excuse of for that time token decision to favorite Egypt is. So like it or not up to now the most victimized in Nile case is i believe it is Eritrea.
Truly truly i say to you June 7, 2013
part 2
We know Ethiopia because supported by Powerful nation, and by being instrumentalize how they killed our people and occupied our territories. For me those of you now by exaggerating the Ethiopian support as if Ethiopia doing that from good will they accepting our refugees and allows them to study you propagating, i say you all stop your stupid cheap nonsense argument! No one buys it. It is an insult. They doing is that not from good will, but because they calculated which politic makes them self beneficial is only. For instance this Nile dispute case you could take it. Anyway, if someone ask me what is your point. Should Eritrea retaliates by siding with Egypt are you talking? I say no! Never! We are Eritreans are people with moral, humanity and principles! I even up to know never uses the word, We Eritreans are blood related brothers with Ethiopia. It is not because i like to deny it the fact, but the motive in a way most of you using to fool us, because i don´t like similarly to use it is only. But such threat when comes, not from corrupted mind and motive like you have, but from heart i believe we Eritreans in deed are blood related closed brothers with you. I never like to see Ethiopians humiliation at all despite wounds, but your success. So in Nile case, my sympathy despite all wounds goes 100% with Ethiopia.
Tamrat Tamrat June 7, 2013
Blood related famiy never separets without fight.
Truly truly i say to you June 7, 2013
Finally i will advice Ethiopia as well Eritrea be aware of from being proxy warriors! Be aware from being instrumentalize not to kill each other like before. Because i believe there are clever nations above us their own conflicts by using divert manover likes to turn towards us and when we kill each other they like to build their house and to save their citizens life in the cost of our citzens life, while without exact know the root cause of the political motive we killing each other. This matter for me though there are groups in principle i support and sympathizing with them, but because i have an obligation to save my people life as well, it is must to tell and advice you again and again be aware of from being instrumentalize only! Ethiopia has full right to use its own natural resources. That decided injustice decision by colonial powers it is not the word of God must be changed! I believe Energy is the basic fandament for all development. If there is no way to use hydroelectric power both Eritrea and Ethiopia as alternative should think to build atom energy like Pakistan and India of course not for fighting, but for economical development. unfortunately our wicked leaders they never think about, besides their power interest! Look the 22 years wasted time when we fighting and jealousying each other, instead in Eritrean side for 22 years hyjaking the youth if they be studied, this time we would have 300,000 atom engineers, doctors, economists etc…
Zaul June 7, 2013
In the early 1900s a dam was built along the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt to help control flooding and to provide hydroelectric power to the region. However, in times of extreme flooding, it proved inadequate and the land and towns thought protected by the dam would be covered with flood waters. In the 1960s, it was decided that a second dam would be built at Aswan to solve the problem. This dam created a 500-mile-long lake. The area used to create the lake was located on the site of an ancient civilization known as Nubia. Prior to completion of the dam, the United Nations began a rescue operation to excavate the area so that endangered Nubian monuments could be uncovered and moved to other locations. All together, twenty-four monuments were dismantled and relocated and many others were identified and documented before the area was flooded to make the lake. Four temples were donated to those nations who had contributed the largest effort. In this way, the Netherlands received the temple of Taffeh, which was rebuilt inside the RMO.
Unfortunately, the likelihood of further archaeological study at any sites in Nubia, is all but impossible became many of the primary areas of investigation now lie under 250 feet of water, at the bottom of Lake Nasser. Over 150,000 Nubians and Sudanese were forced to relocate off the land their ancestors had called home for over 5,000 years. Over 45 Nubian villages were washed away along the banks of the Nile south of Aswan.
They were resettled in and around the city of Aswan and in villages further north. There is no way to estimate the total number of temples and tombs which now lie at the bottom of Lake Nasser, nor is there any way of knowing the many secrets these structures currently hold. Because of the creation of the Aswan Dam, the world will never have an opportunity to study the full impact Africans from the southern Nile Valley had on the development of ancient Egypt and subsequent civilizations.
Zaul June 7, 2013
The legacy of displacement is a deep wound throughout the entire swath of Nubian Egypt, which stretches about 200 miles from the Sudanese border north to the city of Aswan, north of the High Dam. The moves were traumatic enough – survivors and activists recall how primary school once began at third grade because a generation of children had died in the last transfer – but that wasn’t even the final blow. Nubians were barred from most sensitive security positions and stripped of their language, and they endured bitter racism from the lighter-skinned Arabs.
“They call themselves the grandsons of the pharaohs! Ha! Can you believe they even make the pharaohs white in the movies?” said Mohamed Abdel Basit, a Nubian teacher who has no state-issued ID card because he won’t pay the nominal processing fee “to buy an identity that’s not my own.”
Successive Egyptian governments systematically repressed southern murmurs of dissent, buying off local leaders and dispatching emissaries from Cairo to guard Arab interests. When Arab nationalist President Gamal Abdel Nasser submerged historic Nubia in his High Dam project, he named the vast man-made lake he created after himself – yet another insult to the indigenous people who wanted it called Lake Nubia.
“When someone dies, you put HIS name on the grave, not the undertaker’s,” said Yahia Zaied, 26, a Cairo-based activist who hails from the southernmost village of Adindan along the Sudanese border.
When the state agreed to open a Nubian museum in Aswan, Egyptian officials tried to leave “Nubian” out of the official name, but they caved when the U.N. threatened to pull its funding. Arab curators struck back by installing a tablet at the museum’s entrance that describes Ramses II’s Nubian conquests more than 3,000 years ago.