NPR

In Africa, War Over Water Looms As Ethiopia Nears Completion Of Nile River Dam

Ethiopia hopes the electricity generated by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will boost economic development, while Egypt is concerned its neighbor will gain control over the flow of water.

A new mega-dam being built by Ethiopia on the Nile River is threatening to spark a war over water and shift political influence in northeastern Africa.

Ethiopia sees the dam as the key to its economic future, but its neighbor to the north, Egypt, fears the dam could spell doom for its water supply, says BBC Africa correspondent Alastair Leithead. The Nile of all water in Egypt, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

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