Ethiopia rejects UNSC involvement in dam dispute

Ethiopian foreign minister Gedu Andargachew on Friday rejected Egypt's call for a dispute over a giant dam on the River Nile to be referred to the United Nations security council.

The $4.6 billion project, on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, would create the most powerful hydroelectric dam in Africa.

Ethiopia sees it as a lifeline to help millions of its people escape from poverty.

But Egypt regards it as a potentially existential threat, fearing the project could significantly reduce its access to water unless there's an agreement on the period over which the dam is filled.

Egypt's foreign ministry issued a statement Friday saying Cairo wants the Security Council to intervene to help the parties reach a "fair and balanced solution" and to prevent Ethiopia from acting unilaterally.

But Andargachew dismissed the call, suggesting it was tantamount to inviting the UN to interfere in Ethiopia's sovereign affairs.

"The issue with the dam can be solved right here instead of taking it to the UN Security Council," he told The AP.

"We believe this is not the mandate of the Security Council."

The United States earlier this year tried to broker a deal, but Ethiopia did not attend the signing meeting and accused the Trump administration of siding with Egypt.

Egypt has traditionally received the lion's share of the Nile's waters under agreements dating back to the British colonial era, although 85% of it originates in Ethiopia.

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