The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)
In a statement on Friday, Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said Ethiopia’s dam management “lacks the most basic principles of responsibility and transparency” and was carried out in violation of international law.
Cairo pointed to the September water releases from the GERD, which it said were sudden and unregulated. After holding back more water than expected during the Blue Nile’s flood season, Ethiopian operators released massive volumes in mid- and late September, peaking at 780 million cubic metres in a single day.
The ministry said the abrupt releases, combined with heavy rainfall and high inflows from the White Nile, triggered flooding that submerged villages and farmland in Sudan. Khartoum confirmed that rising water levels had inundated several areas along the White Nile.
The Blue Nile’s flood season runs from July to October, peaking in August. This year’s levels are roughly 25 percent above average, though still below last year’s peak.
Ethiopia was expected to store water gradually over these months and then release it steadily, in line with its claims that the dam would regulate floods and supply electricity.
However, by late August, monitoring revealed that operators had stored far more than anticipated. On 8 September, outflows were slashed from about 280 million cubic metres to 110 million, a move the ministry said flouts technical rules and heightens the risk of downstream flooding.
Egypt accused Ethiopia of staging a “media show” around the dam’s 9 September inauguration, then immediately releasing billions of cubic metres of water without coordination. Such moves, it said, amounted to “political exploitation of water resources at the expense of lives and regional security”.
On 10 September, operators suddenly discharged massive volumes, 485 million cubic metres in a single day, followed by erratic surges later in the month.
The sudden releases, combined with heavy but uneven rainfall in Sudan and above-normal inflows to the White Nile, triggered flash floods that submerged farmland and villages. Sudan’s Roseires Dam was forced to pass through most of the excess water to protect its limited storage capacity.
The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that the floods had caused significant losses in Sudan.
Egypt contrasted this with its own system of managing Nile flows, which it said relies on real-time monitoring and timed releases: increasing outflows in the summer to meet peak agricultural demand, regulating volumes during the July–October flood season, and scaling back in the winter closure period.
Cairo said it had even warned governors in early September to prepare riverbank residents, many of whom were farming or building illegally on floodplains, for rising waters.
The ministry dismissed media claims of entire governorates being “drowned,” saying only riverbank lands within the Nile channel were submerged, as expected during high flows.
It blamed illegal encroachments on floodplains for worsening losses, warning that such practices reduce the river’s discharge capacity and harm agriculture. It added that the Aswan High Dam remains the main safeguard against Nile fluctuations and sudden floods.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly warned that riverbank areas and informal housing in Menoufia and Beheira, especially, could face flooding in October.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stated that the lack of coordination on GERD operations was a contributing factor to the severe flooding in Sudan, while negotiations over the dam’s management remain at a standstill.
Egypt sent a letter to the UN Security Council on 9 September denouncing Ethiopia’s inauguration of the GERD as a unilateral step that “violates international law” and undermines regional security.
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