Opinion: The Nile that Unites Should Not Divide, By Owei Lakemfa
Unless neutral mediators step in, the Nile, which has over the ages been home to ancient kingdoms, might divide Africa.
Ethiopia had to fight the Ogaden War with Somalia to keep that part of the country. Its power structure, which saw the Amhara, with 27.1 per cent of the population, ruling perpetually through leaders like Emperor Haile Sellasie and Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, crumbled in 1991. That was when an armed insurrection led by the Tigrayans, who constitute 6.1 per cent of the population, overran the country. Instability persisted as the majority Oromos, with 34.
The country, like Ethiopia, has serious political-economic problems. On July 9, 2011, South Sudan broke away with a lot of oil wells, a fratricidal war in Darfur and a street uprising, which despite ousting General Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019, is yet to end. Ironically, the Nile that links countries is, today, a possible source of conflict. Yet, it may not be too difficult to reach a negotiated agreement, provided there is goodwill on all sides.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abby has voiced his distrust of the U.S. mediation efforts and opted for an African mediator in South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa. But Egypt objects on the basis that this amounts to buying time.
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