Ethiopia’s parliament has endorsed the Nile River Cooperative Framework Agreement, an accord that replaces colonial-era deals that awarded Egypt and Sudan the majority water rights to the world’s longest river.
The agreement, already signed by five other Nile River countries, was unanimously endorsed by Ethiopia’s 547-member parliament on Thursday.
The vote comes amid tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt over the latter’s Nile dam project that is diverting the Nile waters to a massive hydro-electric dam.
Egypt fears the dam will result in a diminished share of the Nile, which provides most of the desert nation’s water needs.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy on Monday warned that “all options are open” to challenge Ethiopia’s project. Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn responded on Tuesday, vowing “nothing” and “no one” will stop the dam’s construction.
