Egypt slams unilateral GERD management, asserts 'right to life'

CAIRO - 20 July 2026: Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty criticized Ethiopia on Monday for continuing to manage the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) unilaterally without coordination with downstream nations Egypt and Sudan.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Cairo alongside Mozambican Foreign Minister Maria Manuela Lucas, Abdelatty stated that international law clearly governs the management of shared international rivers, yet Ethiopia has politicized the dam's operation.

He warned that uncoordinated water retention lowers Nile levels and threatens drinking water supplies, while unannounced gate openings have previously caused severe flooding in Sudan and water level fluctuations in Egypt.

Abdelatty emphasized that Egypt does not oppose development in the Nile Basin, stressing that "Ethiopia has the right to development, and Egypt has the right to life."