Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Egypt have been rising since the outbreak of conflict in Syria, with Egypt supporting the Syrian state and Saudi Arabia calling for the removal of Bashar Al-Assad. Tensions continue to mount as Saudi Arabia is looking to invest in the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a 6000-megawatt hydropower dam on the Ethiopian-Sudanese border. On December 16, 2016, a senior advisor to the Saudi Royal Court and board chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) Ahmed Al-Khateeb met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegn to discuss the construction of the dam and visited the site. The Saudi government has expressed strong interest in investing in the GERD project and eventually importing energy, along with many other foreign investors.

Ethiopia’s Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile (one of the Nile’s two main tributaries), and it flows downstream to Sudan and Egypt. Sudan was initially critical of the GERD, but now supports the project while Egypt has expressed concern and anger. Egypt has demanded that Ethiopia halts all construction on the dam until the two governments can meet to discuss the long-term implications of the dam for Egypt. Furthermore, no formal environmental assessment has been done to measure the potential effects the dam would have on the Nile River.

The Ethiopian government claims that the dam will improve the flow of the river, reduce flooding, and reduce evaporation in the tributaries and reservoirs of the Nile. Egypt has expressed concerned, fearing that their water supply would be greatly affected, which would specifically impact the two million farmers who depend on the river. Furthermore, the GERD could permanently reduce the water levels in Egypt’s Lake Nasser as floodwaters would be permanently stored in Ethiopia, rather than being allowed to flow downwards to Egypt and Sudan. Reduced water supply to Egypt would also mean a decrease in electricity by an estimated 25 to 40 percent, as many Egyptians depend on the Aswan high dam for power.

Egypt has asked the Ethiopian government for access to the site so that they may conduct their own assessment of the GERD, which Ethiopia has denied. In addition, the Ethiopian government has carried out no such environmental assessment, but continues to insist that the dam will not negatively impact Egypt. In 2013, the NGO International Rivers commissioned a local researcher to assess both the environmental and societal consequences of the dam. International Rivers is an NGO that is concerned with the environmental and societal impacts of dams, which they believe are largely destructive. While proponents of the GERD insist that the dam will reduce flooding and have a largely positive impact as properties will be protected from flood damage, agriculturalists argue that long periods of flood recession actually deplete the soil of hydration and nutrition. Amongst International Rivers other environmental concerns are soil erosion, siltation, malaria control, and the greenhouse gasses emitted by large reservoirs. Given the current political climate in Ethiopia, journalists and activists who have raised questions about the dam have been met with threats and imprisonment from the Desaglen regime.

Tensions continue to grow as Egypt voted in favour of the Russian drafter UN resolution for a ceasefire in Syria, much to the dismay of the Saudis. Egyptian officials deny any tensions with Saudi Arabia and insist there is still cooperation between the two nations. However, the deteriorating Egyptian-Saudi relationship has wide-reaching implications for the entire region as the two regional powers are unable to present a united front to confront the spread of ISIS and growing civil unrest across the Middle East.