Egypt wants Ethiopia stop linking it with Oromo protest

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December 28,2016

Clearly, Egypt is already tired of accusations of supporting Oromo protest and wants authorities in Ethiopia stop it, seem to suggest a report by Middle East Monitor

Sameh Shoukry,Egyptian Foreign Minister who formerly served as ambassador of Egypt to the United States, is quoted by Middle East Monitor as saying that “…Ethiopia has no evidence on Egypt’s involvement in such activity, and Ethiopian refugees in Egypt, like all refugees, respect the laws that regulate their residence, which ban political activities.”

It is to be recalled that Ethiopian government sought,perhaps demanded is even better, response from Egypt, according to news published by Daily News Egypt on Monday this week. Workeneh Gebeyehu was cited as saying “The Ethiopian government is awaiting a response from Egypt to a request that Egyptian authorities take action against alleged Egyptian institutions supporting and funding Ethiopian opposition groups…” during an interview with Asharg Al-Answar newspaper.

Now Egypt is talking and it sees accusations of support to Oromo protest rather as “…provocation of crisis between the two countries”, as per the report by Middle East Monitor.

Background

Relation between Egypt and Ethiopia could be described as one that is uneasy, even historically. The two countries even fought a war in the 19th century and Egypt lost it back then.

The quest to have security and greater control over Nile river has been a motivation on the part of Egypt for a long time now as far as relation between the two countries is concerned.

Tension developed resurfaced over the past five or so years between the two countries soon after President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown following the persistent Tahrir square protest 2011 which later spread to other parts of Egypt.

And the very reason that caused the tension was Ethiopia’s unexpected grand dam project over the Nile river. Considerable number of Ethiopian political analysts hold the conviction that the project was rather meant to be Ethiopian regime preemptive tactical response to distract what appeared then was possible nation wide protest inspired by “The Arab Spring.” Of course, the regime denied any political calculation vis-a-vis the dam project and painted it in terms of economic project.

Egypt tend think,apparently, that exclusive right over the Nile need to be understood by countries along the upper course of the river including Ethiopia. More than 85 percent of the Nile Water originates from Ethiopia and never used it in any form before.

Egypt is,apparently, of the view that Dam over Nile will decrease water flow to Egypt. And Ethiopia says that is not the case.

Deadlock

Bilateral and trilateral talks do not seem to be of much help to resolve questions over the dam project.

The regime in Ethiopia is skeptical that Egypt is up to destabilizing Ethiopia by exploiting anti-government protest in the country and by supporting Oromo -protest. More specifically, organizations and institutions within Egypt are implicated by authorities in Ethiopia in relation to the accusation of supporting Oromo radical ethno-nationalist forces.

And the administration in Addis Ababa claims to have audio and video evidences.

It is likely that the response from Egypt could make the relation between the two countries even more tense.

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