President Abdel Fattah El Sisi Warns Egypt's Nile Water Share Is 'Historical and Legal' Right

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has declared that Egypt's share of the Nile's water is a “historical and legal” right that is non-negotiable. Speaking in a televised address to the nation, the Egyptian leader emphasized that the Nile is the foundation of the country's existence and that its water share cannot be reduced or touched.

While expressing readiness to cooperate with fellow Nile basin countries, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi stated that Egypt “will not tolerate any action that touches its water security and continue to defend these rights by all means provided under international law.” Egypt relies on the Nile for nearly all its freshwater needs, holding a share of 55.5 billion cubic metres under a 1959 agreement with Sudan—terms that Ethiopia dismisses as invalid and outdated.

The dispute intensified with the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, the river's largest tributary. Egypt and Sudan have spent a decade pressing Ethiopia for a legally binding deal on the dam's operation, a request rejected by Addis Ababa.

Regional tensions have further escalated following a meeting between President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and the leaders of Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan, where they vowed to keep Red Sea governance exclusively in the hands of littoral states. In response, Ethiopia's foreign ministry issued a defiant statement reasserting its control of the Blue Nile and its legitimate interests in the Red Sea.