The story goes that when Alexander The Great (circa 356 - 323 BC) asked about the Nile, the source of which could not be fathomed, it gave rise to a proverb repeated over many centuries. Those who fantasised about things impracticable were often advised: “It would be easier to find the source of the Nile.” Then, in 2006, long after claims by the famed 19th Century British explorer John Hanning Speke that the source of the Nile was Lake Victoria, a team led by another Briton traced the likely source of the world’s longest river in Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest. Burundi may also have a strong claim to the source through River Ruvyironza, as much as the other EAC countries with tributaries of the White Nile as it snakes its way to Sudan in the north, where its joined by the Blue Nile from the Ethiopian highlands to form the River Nile proper. Nevertheless, in as far as it has been established, Rwanda is most likely the farthest source via River Nyabarongo. But even if it wasn’t, it would be nothing to fight about. Yet there has been talk of likely conflict (though about the resource, not the source) among the eleven Nile Basin countries, which include Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Participants at the Fourth Nile Basin Development Forum in Nairobi recently warned the region might face conflicts over Nile water if a new agreement is not reached on how the resource can equitably and responsibly be used. Egypt and Sudan have traditionally taken the biggest share of the Nile even though they have the least percentage share of contribution to its waters. The threat of conflict is therefore not new, and finds its genesis in the colonial times when most of the riparian states were under British rule. Britain signed two treaties in 1929 and in 1958 with Egypt and the Sudan almost giving them exclusive rights to the Nile waters. This is despite the fact that many populations in the other countries were concentrated along the Nile river basin due to the economic opportunities available. The treaties have, therefore, always been a bone a contention, thereby casting a shadow of imminent conflict since independence of the rest of the countries in the Basin. However, the current disagreement pits Egypt against the rest. In 1999 the riparian countries created the Nile Basin Initiative to start negotiations for a treaty that would lead to an “all-inclusive” use of the river. Although the Initiative aimed to reach the comprehensive framework agreement (CFA) that would guide proper use of the waters, the Nile Basin states are concerned that Egypt is no longer willing to take part in negotiations. The CFA opened for signing in 2010, of which six ratifications will be enough to bring the CFA into effect. Only two countries, Rwanda and Ethiopia, have ratified it. Eritrea participates in the Nile Basin Initiative as an observer. The other countries are, in principle, in the CFA. About 25 dams are either under construction or have been planned by the riparian states along the Nile for the development and economic advancement of their peoples. It seems appropriate that each individual country’s needs should be taken into consideration, if only to address the colonial impartialities in our collective history, so that the resource is equitably shared. Even though cooperation carries an inherent cost, it’s not worth a fight. The writer is a commentator on local and regional issuesTwitter: @gituram
