Tear the Nile Treaty up!

Yesterday Rwanda celebrated ‘Nile Day’ but what I have to ask is, “what exactly are we celebrating”? Are we celebrating the fact that Rwanda, after more than 50 years of independence, still can’t use its water resources the way its citizens choose? Because of the 1929 Treaty between Egypt and Sudan (which was under British control at the time) about 80 percent of Nile water must be allocated to them while the rest of us (Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania) have to make do with the remaining 20 percent. This is despite the fact that these six nations actually provide the waters of the Nile. I certainly understand why Egypt and Sudan are so touchy about this subject, so much so that they’ve more or less promised to go to war with any nation that threatens its allocation. They say that the Nile is the ‘lifeblood’ of Egypt; this is true. The entire existence of Egypt as a nation is linked with the sluggish, brown waters of the longest river in the world. The Nile irrigates the fields that make possible Egypt’s booming agricultural industry and the Aswan High Dam, the country’s Hydro-Electric Power station and possibly the continents biggest, makes industry possible. So, the nation’s trepidation, where its one source is concerned, is understandable. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that there must be understanding from the Egyptian government. The sub-Saharan nations, which make possible the Nile, have to have a bigger stake. It is illogical that Rwanda, for example, should be forced to heed the provisions of the Nile Treaty of 1929. Rwanda wasn’t an independent nation yet, no Rwandan was consulted and I’m pretty sure that Uganda feels the same. Let’s be honest here. In 1929, Egypt was more or less a British protectorate (dependent in everything but name). The British saw Egypt and India as its crown jewels while other colonies were regulated to mere second rate ‘backwaters’. The Brits didn’t care much for the futures of Kenyans; they felt that they were in the position to sign away their birthrights. Well, why is it that, even today, we allow our birthright to be kept away from us? I welcomed the Entebbe Declaration, which called for a more equitable sharing of the water. Unsurprisingly, Sudan and Egypt said “no”. Why they would say that is arrogance of the highest nature. Honestly, they have not one single ‘special’ right vis-à-vis the Nile. They should be the ones calling for a new paradigm. Because, eventually, the entire Nile Treaty will start being ignored and each ‘independent’ will do what it chooses. Let’s imagine what could be possible if Rwanda could do whatever it chose. The high electricity prices would be a thing of the past; we’d be able to build numerous hydro-electric dams around the country all connecting to the national electricity grid. One of the reasons, I reckon, that make heavy industry (such as smelting) impossible is the fact that power is so expensive. Heavy industry has traditionally been one of the main drivers of a national economy. It employs the largest amount of people, and allows those who don’t have a university degree, to enjoy competitive salaries. While Rwanda has chosen the service industry path to development, I’m sure that Ameki Color (Rwanda’s biggest paint producer) wouldn’t mind cheap electricity. The second largest driver of economies, traditionally, has been agriculture. How will Rwanda expect to remain food sufficient, especially with our growing population of three percent per year, when we can’t even use irrigation as much as we’d like to? With the changes in the overall climate, we cannot rely on rainfall patterns to remain the same. So, why rely on untrustworthy rains, when we have extremely reliable river systems? Actually, this is a national security issue. If Egypt is so worried about its people, doesn’t it make sense that we should as well? We might be rich in water resources right now, but as surely as day follows night, that situation shall change. We must renegotiate the Nile Treaty from a position of strength before climate change and poverty make it impossible. sunnyntayombya@newtimes.co.rw