Egyptian Water Security and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Why Ethiopia Has the Upper Hand

Feb 1, 2023 | Elliot Winter
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Water scarcity is a growing problem. It can be demand-driven, typically caused by population growth, and supply-driven, typically caused by decreasing amounts of fresh water often resulting from climate change or a result of societal factors such as poverty. If it is allowed to reach dangerous levels, water scarcity has the potential to trigger conflicts. These conflicts could take the form of international armed conflicts (between states), non-international armed conflicts between a group and a state, or conflicts between non-state groups. As a result, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has recognised “water security” as a possible threat to international peace. For example, in 2017, the UNSC highlighted the security risks of water stress in the Lake Chad Basin Region, affecting Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, based on a combination of water scarcity, drought, desertification and land degradation. Similarly, in 2018, the UNSC noted the water security risks in African nations such as Somalia, Sudan and Mali.