Whether you like him or not, gratitude is due to US President Donald Trump for his stance on Egypt’s historic right to Nile River waters.
Don’t be surprised—it is, by divine will, that this issue was articulated by Trump, while previous US presidents remained silent on a matter primarily concerning “the right to life,” as the Nile waters are the source of life for Egyptians.
Trump continued a path he charted during his first term, with an agreement facilitated by the US Treasury Department. This agreement aimed to bring the three riparian countries—Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia—to a consensus.
The draft agreement, a legally binding document for operating the Ethiopian dam in accordance with historical agreements, sits in the White House archives.
However, the Ethiopian delegation, followed by the Sudanese delegation, withdrew just before signing, which utterly frustrated Trump – a frustration he kept to himself.
Trump believes, and we also believe, that an agreement is close, especially since he has foreseen it and spoken about it globally. The US president is determined to achieve it and is pressing hard for it – and if Trump decides something, expect a response.
Trump is the “bully” of the new world, and what cannot be achieved through willing consent will be achieved by force.
Ethiopia persists in its defiance, resisting and provoking, needing to see a “red eye” to be deterred come to its senses, and abandon its stubbornness, which has cost us 13 years of negotiations culminating in the dam’s completion.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed proudly declares its official inauguration next September, despite our objections.
“I think we’ll come to a resolution on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the Nile River issue,” Trump stated confidently, and we trust his promise.
These are optimistic predictions: the agreement will be signed before the dam’s inauguration, with the dam’s opening contingent on the solution Trump is eager to achieve.
In a world dominated by the powerful, just causes require strength to support them; the justice of the cause alone is not enough to win. Unfortunately, global public opinion is completely muddled, and I fear it is oblivious to the fairness of Egypt’s position, while the Ethiopia markets its development project globally at the expense of Egyptians.
Surprisingly, Trump spoke on behalf of Egyptians during a press conference from the White House on Monday with the current NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte.
The US President expressed complete astonishment at the stance of successive US administrations: “Egyptians’ lives depend on the water in the Nile. I don’t know how we funded the Renaissance Dam before resolving the crisis between Egypt and Ethiopia, and we will work towards a solution between Egypt and Ethiopia.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has spoken about America’s “historically foolish” involvement in funding the dam.
Last month, he discussed the dam crisis in a social media post, asserting that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for successfully brokering peace between Egypt and Ethiopia, despite the latter building a massive dam that reduces Nile water flow to the downstream nations of Sudan and Egypt (as he put it).
He understands the extent of American involvement in the dam’s construction.
In a tweet published on June 21st, Trump stated that the “building of the dam was funded by American money,” a move he described as “stupid.”
We are cautiously betting on Trump’s intelligence, encouraging his efforts, and thanking him nonetheless. What bolsters Egypt’s position, even before Trump’s enthusiasm, is the justice of its cause and the Egyptian administration’s rational approach to the dam issue.
A diplomacy of “beautiful patience,” combined with rationality and credibility, will yield its impact.
