Rights Advocate Rev. Jesse Jackson Urges CBC to Pass Strong Resolution against Egypt

Addis Ababa, May 21/2020(ENA) Rainbow Push Coalition, led by Civil Rights Advocate Reverend Jesse Jackson, has urged the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to pass resolution against Egypt’s Letter to the UN Security Council, according to a letter issued this week.

The letter of Egypt to the UN Security Council pushes Ethiopia into signing a neo-colonial agreement that will make Egypt hegemony over the Nile River, the letter stated.

“I am writing about a deeply disturbing case, regarding a letter that the government of Egypt has submitted to the UN Security Council to pressure Ethiopia into signing a neo-colonial agreement that will make Egypt hegemony over the Nile River,” the letter stressed.

“This is inexplicable because 85 percent of the waters of the Nile River originate from Ethiopia. The remaining15 percent is contributed by 10 Sub-Saharan Africa Nile basin nations. Egypt contributes 0 percent to the river flow,” it added.

The letter wrote to U.S. Congressional Black Caucus Chairperson, Karen Bass signed by Founder of Rainbow Coalition and the renowned Civil Rights Advocate Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. and its Chairman William Dickerson said Egypt’s claim is inexplicable for 85 percent of the waters of the Nile River originated from Ethiopia.

The source of Ethio-Egypt dispute is a colonial legacy that Egypt is trying to hang on to, the letter said.

The 1959 agreement between Egypt and an independent Sudan, like the 1929 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty, did not make any allowance for the water needs of the other riparian states, including Ethiopia whose highlands supply more than 80 percent of the water that flows into the Nile River, according to the letter.

One of the requests Egypt included in its letter to the UN is to stop Ethiopia from filling the reservoir for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, adding this is a brazen reflection of Egypt’s hegemonic attitude, the letter indicated.

The letter indicated that Ethiopia has done everything in accordance with international water laws. Ethiopia has neither authorized nor consented to the U.S. or the World Bank to formulate or prepare legal text, it said.

“If our government and the World Bank have formulated the claimed agreement then it was done in flagrant violation of their duty as observers,” the letter reads.

Accordingly, the U.S. and the World Bank have moral and legal obligations to notify the UN Security Council that Egypt’s characterization of the U.S. and WB as “mediators” and its accusation that Ethiopia has “refused to accept a compromise text” that was formulated by our American partners.

The claim is misleading because as an observer the U.S. had no authority or consent from Ethiopia to formulate “a compromise text” on behalf of Ethiopia, it was indicated.

“This is critical to set the record straight and free our country from the Arab League’s and Egypt’s attempt to enforce a colonialist water rights regime against Black African nations,” the coalition noted.

The Coalition called upon the congress for a strong resolution as soon as possible to counter the Arab League’s resolution that supports Egypt’s “water rights on the Nile” that stems from the 1929 colonial treaty.