Egypt says it backs South Sudan’s Fula dam after review, renews objections to Ethiopia’s GERD

(Photo Credit: Addis Standard)

Addis Abeba — Egypt has agreed to South Sudan’s planned Grand Fula Dam after reviewing technical studies on the project, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam said, as Cairo simultaneously reiterated its objections to Ethiopia’s unilateral operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Sewilam made the remarks on Sunday during a media briefing organized by Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS) for more than 80 foreign correspondents in Cairo. The briefing focused on Egypt’s water security, Nile Basin cooperation and the country’s positions on major water projects in the region.

According to the minister, the Fula project is among 36 projects submitted under the Nile Basin Initiative’s investment program. Egypt reviewed the studies, exchanged information, assessed potential impacts and participated in consultations before agreeing to support the project, he said.

“Egypt agreed to this dam among the 36 projects,” Sewilam said, according to Radio Tamazuj. He described the process as an example of how prior notification, information exchange, impact assessment and consultation could facilitate development projects and access to financing.

Sewilam said Egypt supports South Sudan’s development objectives, including the Fula project, while maintaining that projects on shared waterways should comply with international water law. He said Cairo’s position was that the same principles should apply to all Nile Basin countries and that Egypt opposed unilateral actions on shared water resources.

The comments come amid renewed attention to South Sudan’s plans to develop its water resources. South Sudanese Energy and Dams Minister Peter Marcello Agok Makur recently said Juba was prepared to proceed with dam projects, including Fula, and would not be deterred by concerns from downstream countries.

Egypt renews criticism of Ethiopia’s GERD

The Egyptian minister used the same briefing to sharply reiterate Cairo’s longstanding objections to Ethiopia’s GERD, describing the dam as unilateral and saying Egypt had not accepted the situation created by its construction, filling and operation.

Sewilam said Egypt retained measures available under international law to protect what it considers its water security and interests. He also argued that unilateral operation of the dam could result in sudden changes in downstream water flows, which he said could affect water infrastructure in Egypt and Sudan.

He further said Egypt considers the GERD’s characterization as a unilateral and illegal project to reflect what Cairo regards as a legal dispute over the manner in which the dam has been built, filled and operated.

Sewilam also criticized what he described as recent Ethiopian references to controlling water flows to downstream countries, arguing that such statements contradicted Ethiopia’s longstanding description of the GERD as a hydropower project.

Ethiopia and Egypt have remained at odds over the GERD, which Addis Ababa began constructing on the Blue Nile in 2011. Cairo has continued to call for a legally binding agreement governing the dam’s operation, while Ethiopia has maintained that the project is intended for power generation and development. Recent Egyptian statements have continued to characterize the dam’s operation as unilateral and contrary to international law.

Sewilam contrasted Egypt’s position on the Fula project with its position on the GERD, saying Cairo supports Nile Basin development projects when they undergo notification, consultation, information exchange and impact assessment.

He cited the Fula project and other projects in the southern Nile Basin as examples of what Egypt considers cooperative development, while presenting the GERD as an example of what it describes as unilateral action.

The minister also said Egypt supports a permanent and inclusive Nile Basin institutional framework. He claimed Ethiopia was the only country to reject the continuation of a consultation process addressing concerns over the Cooperative Framework Agreement at a February 2026 Nile Basin Initiative ministerial meeting. The claim was presented by the Egyptian minister and was not independently verified in the SIS statement.

Egypt has also maintained that the completion of the GERD and the passage of time do not constitute acceptance of the dam’s current status or operation. Sewilam said Cairo would retain what it considers its rights and options under international law.

Addis Standard reported on 19 September that South Sudan was preparing to advance the long-planned Fula hydropower project on the White Nile near Nimule, with Energy and Dams Minister Agok Makur Kur saying the government had no reason to fear opposition from Egypt.

Speaking to local media in Juba on 17 September, Makur said the Fula project was among 34 projects approved through resolutions of the Nile Basin Council of Ministers, which includes Egypt. He said this provided a basis for South Sudan to proceed with its plans, adding that the government was “ready for building our dams.”

Makur also said he had briefed President Salva Kiir Mayardit on the government’s preparations and that investors and diplomatic representatives had begun approaching the ministry. He did not provide a construction timetable.

The proposed Grand Fula hydropower project is located on the White Nile near Nimule in Eastern Equatoria State, close to South Sudan’s border with Uganda. The project has been under consideration for years as part of South Sudan’s plans to expand domestic electricity generation and improve access to power.

Fula is located on the White Nile, rather than the Blue Nile. The two rivers converge at Khartoum in Sudan to form the main Nile. Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), by contrast, is located on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia.

South Sudan is a member of the Nile Basin Initiative, through which Nile Basin countries cooperate on the development and management of shared water resources. The Fula project has featured in regional hydropower planning under the initiative.

The issue has gained further attention after Egypt’s Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam said on 20 September that Cairo had agreed to support the Fula project after reviewing studies, exchanging information and assessing potential impacts. Egypt has presented this process as distinct from its position on Ethiopia’s GERD, which Cairo continues to characterize as a unilateral project.

Makur’s remarks come amid broader regional sensitivities over Nile water infrastructure, particularly following Ethiopia’s development of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile and longstanding disagreements with Egypt and Sudan over its operation and water impacts.

Source: https://addisstandard.com/egypt-says-it-backs-south-sudans-fula-dam-after-review-renews-objections-to-ethiopias-gerd/