By Goth Mohamed Goth
CAIRO, September 9, 2025 – The Arab Republic of Egypt has formally appealed to the United Nations Security Council, condemning Ethiopia’s recent actions regarding its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability.
In a letter dated Tuesday, September 9, 2025, Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr. Badr Abdel Aati urged the Security Council to address what Cairo describes as Ethiopia’s “unilateral measures” in the Eastern Nile Basin. The diplomatic move comes in direct response to Ethiopia’s organization of an event to announce the completion and full operation of the controversial dam.
The letter underscores Egypt’s longstanding position that the massive hydroelectric project, built on the Blue Nile, remains an illegitimate endeavor that contravenes international norms. Minister Abdel Aati stated that despite Ethiopian efforts to project an “aura of acceptance and legitimacy,” the dam does not alter the legal framework governing the Nile and its resources.
“Egypt has a firm position in rejecting all Ethiopian unilateral measures on the Nile River and not recognizing them or accepting their consequences on the existential interests of the peoples of the two downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan,” the Foreign Minister wrote.
The communication paints a picture of a patient Egypt that has, for years, “exercised the utmost restraint” and pursued diplomacy through international organizations. This approach, the letter clarifies, was not born out of weakness but from a “firm conviction in the importance of strengthening cooperation.”
In stark contrast, Ethiopia is accused of adopting “intransigent positions,” procrastinating in negotiations, and seeking to impose a fait accompli. Cairo alleges that Addis Ababa’s motivations are driven more by a domestic “political agenda” to mobilize against an “imaginary enemy” than by genuine development needs.
The letter serves as a stark warning to Addis Ababa and the international community. Egypt explicitly reserved “its right to take all measures guaranteed by international law and the United Nations Charter to defend the existential interests of its people,” signaling that all options remain on the table.
This escalation to the UN’s highest body for international peace and security marks a significant hardening of rhetoric in the long-standing dispute over the Nile’s waters, a lifeline for Egypt’s population of over 105 million. The world now watches to see if the Security Council will take up the matter and how Ethiopia will respond to this latest diplomatic challenge.
