CAIRO — Egypt’s president warned Ethiopia on Wednesday that his government will not tolerate any moves that would reduce Egypt’s share of water from the Nile River.
The warning — the second one in just over a week — came after the latest round of talks among Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over sharing the water failed to make progress. The three nations are deadlocked in a yearslong dispute over a giant dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile River’s main tributary.
Egypt and Sudan argue that Ethiopia’s plan to add 477 billion cubic feet of water in 2021 to the dam’s reservoir on the Blue Nile is a threat to them.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said in televised comments that “all options are open” should Egypt’s share be “touched.” He urged Ethiopia to cooperate with Egypt and Sudan to avoid sliding into conflict.