Ethiopia’s PM Abiy Ahmed says mega dam GERD on the Nile ‘now complete’
Al JazeeraJUL 3
Trump Vows Quick Resolution to Egypt-Ethiopia Dam Dispute
Above: President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali in Cairo, Egypt, July 13, 2023. Image copyright: Ethiopian Prime Ministry/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Trump's intervention represents crucial American leadership in resolving a critical water security crisis that threatens Egypt's very survival. The Nile provides 97% of Egypt's freshwater for over 100 million people, making Ethiopian control over Blue Nile flows an existential threat to Egyptian agriculture and food security, not to mention Sudan's national interests. Years of failed negotiations prove that only decisive U.S. mediation can force Ethiopia to accept binding agreements that protect downstream water rights.
Establishment-critical narrative
Ethiopia's dam represents legitimate development that will lift millions out of poverty through clean energy generation, built entirely with Ethiopian resources and popular support, not with U.S. money. The project offers regional benefits through shared electricity and follows international law, while Egypt clings to outdated colonial-era water agreements that ignore upstream nations' rights. Ethiopian sovereignty over its natural resources cannot be compromised by external pressure or threats from downstream countries.