GERD is Ethiopia’s crown jewel of sovereignty and national achievement, says competitive party NaMA

Addis Ababa, August 14, 2025 (FMC) – The National Movement of Amhara (NaMA), a political party active in Ethiopia’s Amhara region and nationwide, has reaffirmed its strong support for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), emphasizing Ethiopia’s sovereign right to develop the Nile and framing the project as a symbol of national unity, progress, and resilience.

In its statement, NaMA underlined that Ethiopia’s pursuit of energy security, agricultural modernization, and industrialization through projects such as the GERD is not only legitimate but essential for national development and regional stability. The party criticized Egypt for obstructing Ethiopia’s development ambitions, describing its stance as rooted in colonial-era treaties—the 1929 and 1959 Nile Waters Agreements—which excluded Ethiopia and other upstream nations. These treaties, NaMA said, have no legal or moral standing under modern international law, including the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, which enshrines equitable and reasonable utilization of shared water resources.

“The Egyptian allegations against Ethiopia’s GERD are unsupported by facts, international treaties, or customary international laws,” the statement said, noting that no precedent exists for Egypt’s demand for unilateral control over transboundary rivers. NaMA also accused Egypt of relying on outdated claims and defunct treaties to justify obstruction, highlighting repeated diplomatic, governmental, and media statements that ignored Ethiopia’s legitimate rights.

Ethiopia’s progress, the party emphasized, will not be held hostage by Egypt’s “outdated, unjust, and baseless claims.” For Ethiopia, GERD is both an economic imperative and a matter of national security. NaMA cited historical and ongoing Egyptian interference, including support for secessionist movements, anti-Ethiopian propaganda, and destabilizing campaigns, aimed at curtailing Ethiopia’s development efforts on the Nile.

The statement condemned recent remarks by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on August 13, 2025, during a joint press conference with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, warning Egypt would take “all measures provided for under international law” to safeguard its Nile share. NaMA described these statements as “hyperbolic and hypocritical,” noting that Ethiopia, like Egypt, has millions of citizens who rely on the Nile for development.

NaMA stressed that GERD, now fully completed and inauguration-ready, is primarily a hydropower project—a non-consumptive use that promotes sustainable development without significantly harming downstream states. The party said the dam could benefit Egypt and Sudan through improved flow regulation, flood control, and drought mitigation, aligning with international law and established principles on equitable water use, including the 1966 Helsinki Rules.

Calling for constructive engagement, NaMA urged Egypt to participate in the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), describing it as the only lawful and sustainable framework for regional cooperation. The party appealed to the African Union, BRICS, the European Union, and the United Nations to reject Egyptian obstruction and uphold Ethiopia’s lawful development of the GERD.

NaMA also addressed Ethiopians, urging national unity and vigilance in protecting the dam, resolving internal conflicts through dialogue, and safeguarding the country’s sovereignty. The statement emphasized GERD as a project that transcends partisan politics, directly contributing to the security, development, and future of Ethiopia for generations to come.

To Egyptians, the party called for cooperation over confrontation, highlighting the Nile as a shared resource that has historically connected both nations through culture, faith, and history.

“The GERD is a testament to Ethiopia’s resilience and unity,” NaMA concluded. “It stands as a triumph over external pressure and a guarantee of a brighter future for generations to come. The time for just and fair utilization of the Nile is now. Ethiopia will not be deterred.”