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Diplomatic evasiveness aside, one cannot claim that there is no tension in relations between the two countries. The first instance of conflict regarding the Nile between Ethiopia and Egypt could be traced to the 14th Century.
When the Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir began to persecute Egyptian Copts and burn their churches. Amde Tsiyon I sent an envoy to ask Al-Nasir to restore the churches and refrain from persecuting the Copts otherwise he would starve people of Egypt by diverting the course of Nile.
It is no doubt this incident that caused Al-Umari, a noted 14th century Syrian historian, to write that Ethiopians claim they are the guardian of Nile and they promote its regular arrival out of respect for the Sultan of Egypt.
During the 18th and 19th Century, Egypt's invasion and final conquest of Sudan was largely motivated by its desire to control over the entire Nile System. The objective of such conquest was designed to impose Egypt's will on Ethiopia and either to occupy it or force it
to give up Lake Tana area. Hence the conquest of Sudan in 1820 served as a stepping-stone to the increased appearance of Egyptian forces in the western frontiers of Ethiopia and subsequently Egyptian occupation of Kasala(1834), Massawa(1846), kunama(1869), Harrar(1875)
Khedive Ismail Pasha wanted to make the Nile an Egyptian river by annexing to Egypt all the geographical areas of the Nile basin. And to that end recruited swiss adventurer Werner Munzinger.
Munzinger remarked to Ismail "Ethiopia with a disciplined administration and army, and a friend of the European powers, is a danger for Egypt. Egypt must either take over Ethiopia and islamise it, or retain it in anarchy and misery"
Ismail Pasha decided to conquer Ethiopia, a decision he lived to regret.
He launched a series of military expeditions with the help of American Confederate and Union soldiers in 1875 and 1876. In Nov 1875, around 2,500 Egyptian soilders were routed at the Battle of Gundet.
He launched a series of military expeditions with the help of American Confederate and Union soldiers in 1875 and 1876. In Nov 1875, around 2,500 Egyptian soilders were routed at the Battle of Gundet.
Similarly, another 12,000 Egyptian soldiers were annihilated at the Battle of Gura in 1876. In the same year, an expedition led by munzinger was decimated in Northeastern Ethiopia by Afars. Despite the ignominious defeats for Egypt, raids against Ethiopia continued.
In 1902, London dispatched John Harrington to Addis Abeba to negotiate border and Nile water issues with Emperor Menelik. As a result the 1902 Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty was signed between Britain and Ethiopia was never ratified by British parliament or Eth Crown Council.
Following the restoration of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1941, Ethiopia repudiated the 1902 treaty on the account of British recognition of the Italian conquest of Ethiopia. Ethiopia also refused to recognize the 1929 agreement claiming it had never been a British colony and
more specifically it was geared to protect and to promote egypts interest with no reciprocity . Hence as early as 1956, Ethiopia asserted and reserved then and in the future, its right to utilize the waters of the Blue Nile without recognizing any limitation on its freedom.
Similarly Ethiopia declined to recognize the 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan based on the division of water and referring to the clause in the agreement "full utilization" and "full control of the river" when it only involved two states.
Despite Ethiopia's protest, Egypt went ahead with the construction and filling of Aswan Dam was completed in July 21,1970. The Aswan dam and lake Nassar protected Egypt from famine and drought in 1972-1974 and again in 1983-1987, when Ethiopia was experiencing its worst famine.
Ethiopia has long been interested in exploring the possibilities of building a dam on Blue Nile. In 1927 Ethiopia reached an agreement with J.G White Engineering of NY for a number of Engineers and experts to visit Lake Tana and study the feasibility of building a dam.
The U.S Bureau of Reclamation also conducted a study of the Nile basin(1956-1964). It proposed 4 major dams on the Blue Nile with storage capacity of 51,000 cubic meter, with a hydroelectric capacity 3X that of Aswan Dam. But also with irrigation potential as well.
So You ask; Why has Ethiopia never utilized this development potential all these years? The reason is in large part because of the political strife that Egypt helped to instigate in Ethiopia as Early as 1945-which continue to this day. I'll explain in Part 2.
