The drums of war are beating again in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. But this confrontation doesn’t concern Syria, Somalia, Israel, or the Palestinians. The adversaries are Egypt and Ethiopia. The flashpoint is the waters of the Nile.
As part of the construction of its Grand Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia began partially diverting the course of the Blue Nile, which joins the White Nile in Sudan before flowing on to Egypt, in late May. For Ethiopia, the 6,000-megawatt Grand Renaissance project — the largest hydroelectric plant in Africa — promises power for the 83 percent of the population lacking access to electricity, as well as energy for export.
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