It’s the longest river in the world and runs through Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt, but instead of the being the great uniter, the Nile has become the great divider because of a dispute that is causing serious tension between two of those countries.
The row centers on the Grand Renaissance Dam” project, which Ethiopia is currently building on its upper stretch of the Blue Nile, close to the border with Sudan. Egypt is furious because it fears the amount of water flowing into its territory will be reduced.
The Great Renaissance Dam is truly massive, costing around $4.2 billion, and dwarfing all previous dam and irrigation projects. On completion its turbines will generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity, making Ethiopia the biggest energy-producer on the African continent.