Egypt has always aspired to control the sources of the Nile River and occupied Sudan in 1820. His anti-colonial rhetoric resonated to newly independent African countries and they eventually severed diplomatic relations with Israel after the 1967 war. Its foreign policy narrative depicts the Nile riparian countries as politically unstable and economically unable to develop their water resources. Egypt suspects that Israel’s growing presence across the upper riparian countries aims at encircling Egypt and exacerbates its preoccupation on the Nile water resources. The source of the lingering contentious challenge is the British colonial legacy:The British government’s desire for secured cotton supply for its textile industry was the foundation of the Anglo-Egyptian colonial legacy across the Nile River riparian countries.

Source: Ethiopian News March 13, 2020 03:22 UTC