ISTANBUL

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rejected any unilateral actions on the Nile River, warning that anyone who believes Egypt will overlook its water rights “is mistaken.”

Addressing a joint press conference in Cairo with his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, Sisi said the combined annual water flow from the White and Blue Nile, tributaries of the Nile River, is approximately 1,600 billion cubic meters, much of which is lost through forests, swamps, evaporation, and groundwater.

“Only a minor portion of water reaches the Nile, and that Egypt and Sudan together receive about 85 billion cubic meters - only around 4 percent of the total,” he added.

The Egyptian leader stressed that abandoning this share of water “would effectively mean relinquishing Egypt’s very life,” as the country lacks alternative water resources and receives minimal rainfall.

Sisi said while Egypt welcomes the development benefits of Nile waters for sister countries – whether in agriculture, electricity production, or general development, “such growth must not diminish the amount of water reaching Egypt.”

He framed the Nile water issue within a broader pressure campaign aimed at Egypt to advance unrelated objectives.

“Egypt opposes interference, destruction, or conspiracies and instead prioritizes construction, development, and continental unity,” he said.

In early July, Ethiopia announced the completion of a giant dam project on the Blue Nile in preparation for an official inauguration in September.

Construction on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) began in 2011. Over the years, it has become a point of diplomatic tension, particularly between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt, which fears reduced water flows could affect its share of the Nile.

Despite years of negotiations under the African Union and international mediation, the three countries have yet to reach a legally binding agreement on long-term water management.