I am saddened to see such arrogance on the part of Egyptian politicians and media. They know for a fact that the dam doesn't harm their interest, they know Ethiopia has all the right to use the water responsibly even for irrigation let alone for electric generation. Yet they try and insight violence where there is none.
Striking the dam, preventing Ethiopian ships not to use the canal or any other violent option doesn't give Egypt what it wishes. The best solution is to take the negotiations from where they got stalled and move them forward in a way they can come up with win-win solutions. Cooperation is the way out not a single bullet and weapon.
Egypt's military machines could be much more than ours, Egypt's troops could be many in number. Yet this is a country that wins battles against enemies having modern weapons just with traditional ones. Egyptians have to change their paradigm on river Nile. They should know it belongs to other riparian countries too, not Egypt alone.
They should also know they can't solve the issues by resorting to power. Ethiopia has able and competent military force that can defend its interests though the issue of the Nile is not one that can be resolved with military might and battle.
Through cooperation the riparian countries can do a lot more than what is happening now. Unlike the old days where Egypt tried and exploited conflicts and crisis in other riparian countries particularly Ethiopia.
Ethiopia understands the role Egypt has with Eritrea and in Somalia where the terror group Shebab makes its activities. Such greedy and evil acts don't pay off Egypt, simply those are resources left to rot not to benefit anyone especially for Somalis who got killed due to the proxy terror war happening there.
I don't like Egypt's bragging about its military might and its possible resort to use power to maintain the irresponsible water share they formed in the colonial era. Period, Ethiopia has said no and it means it. I believe Ethiopia has every right to use the Nile waters and has the capability to defend its interest on the water.
The Muslim Brotherhood leadership rhetoric to resort to power is simply propaganda to turn the public from the internal politics it has been dealing with. I believe Egyptians understand this and not give the brotherhoods their way with such trivial diversion mechanisms.
The way out here is negotiations on the Nile water use; there is no more leverage on the part of Egypt to lead negotiations in a way they like and for years they want to keep them dragging. Time's got changed. Simple as that. Now is time for cooperation, for round-the-table discussions; not for old war-mongering rhetoric.
Ethiopia has so far kept the doors open for dialogue with its responsible leadership and government. Still it is expecting Egypt to come on board and do proper discussions on the matter. Ethiopia is doing this, I believe, not for fear of war and not because it fails to protect its interests. It very much understands how it should defend its national interests; it is also ready to do what it takes to defend itself. But it is calling for negotiations because it knows the value of peace and for it knows the cost of war that is why it tries hard to not lead this situation to war.
So far arrogance surfaces in the Egyptian political and media landscape calling for military intervention to keep their interest on the Nile river. I feel it is time to let them know that we are able to defend ourselves while we keep working to settle the issues through negotiations. I feel like to say: "Go to hell with your warmongering old mentality" though I know it is rude of me to say so.
We Ethiopians are people, decent people who don't want to make benefit out of others loss; we are the country that don't take defeats failing to protect our interest. Yet know this it is most probably the tactic of muslim brothers that try and divert the attention of Egyptians from questioning the injustice they cause there.
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