Uganda Hosts Talks On River Nile Waters
EXPERTS from 10 African countries began talks in Uganda on Monday to plan how to share the waters of the mighty Nile river.
ENTEBBE, Uganda, Monday — Experts from 10 African countries began talks in Uganda on Monday to plan how to share the waters of the mighty Nile river.
Member states of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) — Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda — were represented at the talks, held in the Ugandan town of Entebbe, which lies on Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile.
“Everybody is putting his interest on the table — a breakthrough for the Initiative,†NBI executive secretary Meraji Msuya told AFP.
“The committee (of experts) was set up in December 2003 and will study controversial historical treaties on the usage of Nile waters and recommend whether they should be declared null and void and what new arrangement will be put in place,†Msuya said.
Egypt clings to treaties signed with Britain in 1929 and 1959, which restricts other basin states, many of which were then British colonies, from undertaking projects that reduce the volume of water flowing to Egypt.
Former Tanzania president, the late Julius Nyerere, declared that all such treaties were nullified by independence.
Tanzania has since embarked on a $27.6m project to draw water from L. Victoria, prompting threats from Egypt.
Kenya has said it would similarly start using Lake Victoria’s waters.
Legal experts say that there is no law binding all the 10 countries and that the current negotiations is an attempt to draft an all-inclusive agreement.
Ends
Member states of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) — Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda — were represented at the talks, held in the Ugandan town of Entebbe, which lies on Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile.
“Everybody is putting his interest on the table — a breakthrough for the Initiative,†NBI executive secretary Meraji Msuya told AFP.
“The committee (of experts) was set up in December 2003 and will study controversial historical treaties on the usage of Nile waters and recommend whether they should be declared null and void and what new arrangement will be put in place,†Msuya said.
Egypt clings to treaties signed with Britain in 1929 and 1959, which restricts other basin states, many of which were then British colonies, from undertaking projects that reduce the volume of water flowing to Egypt.
Former Tanzania president, the late Julius Nyerere, declared that all such treaties were nullified by independence.
Tanzania has since embarked on a $27.6m project to draw water from L. Victoria, prompting threats from Egypt.
Kenya has said it would similarly start using Lake Victoria’s waters.
Legal experts say that there is no law binding all the 10 countries and that the current negotiations is an attempt to draft an all-inclusive agreement.
Ends