Egypt will not relinquish a single drop of Nile water: Irrigation minister

CAIRO – 24 December 2025: Water resources and irrigation minister stressed that Nile River water represents a national security issue for Egypt, stressing that the state will not compromise on protecting its water rights.

Speaking during a seminar on water security held as part of a training course for Egyptian military diplomatic personnel posted abroad, Hani Sewilam highlighted the country’s 98% reliance on the river for its renewable water resources.

Sewilam outlined Egypt’s long-standing policy, principles and parameters regarding Nile waters.

He said the policy is based on adherence to international law governing shared international rivers, as well as on dialogue and cooperation as a consistent approach to achieving shared interests among Nile Basin countries.

Meanwhile, Sewilam emphasized that the state will not accept any infringement on, or relinquishment of, a single drop of Nile water.

The minister’s remarks come amid a dispute between Ethiopia, an upstream country of the Nile River, and both Egypt and Sudan over a set of unilateral measures on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The two downstream countries have called on Ethiopia to sign a binding legal agreement governing the operation and filling of the dam to secure their water interests, a demand that Addis Ababa has rejected despite more than a decade of talks.

In a meeting with African officials this week, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said Egypt has no dispute with Ethiopia. However, its sole demand is that its rights to Nile water rights are not affected and that a legally binding agreement is reached regarding the dam.

GERD has a massive reservoir capable of holding up to 74 billion cubic meters of water.

Egypt and Sudan are concerned that unregulated and uncoordinated measures in its filling and operation could jeopardize their water rights during droughts or floods.

In October, Egypt accused Ethiopia of creating a “man-made flood” that put the lives and resources of populations in the two downstream countries at risk, citing “hasty and uncoordinated filling” of the recently inaugurated dam.