Tunisia has drawn Ethiopia’s wrath for its hazardous management of the dispute between the latter and its neighbors, including Egypt, in connection with the Ennahdha dam. It should be remembered that this dam erected by Ethiopia on the Nile endangers the water security of these countries.
According to observers, Tunisian diplomacy has, to say the least, “very poorly managed” this issue, in his capacity as a member of the Security Council, by openly taking sides with Egypt. According to experts in diplomatic affairs, such a “blind alignment” with Egypt could cause outright severing of relations with Ethiopia.
However, no one can ignore today that Ethiopia is considered as one, if not the rising power of the African continent both economically and politically.
Ethiopia today has a significant strategic weight placing it at the center of the interests of more powerful nations and even friends of Egypt such as Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates.
Ethiopia is now part of the top 10 nations where it is necessary to invest and this without forgetting that it hosts the Organization of the African Union of which Ethiopia largely controls the policies.
Why is Tunisia sacrificing its historic relations as well as its vital interests in East Africa?
Wouldn’t Tunisia have done better to play a role of positive mediation as South Africa had done?
It is true that the Nile is a matter of national security of Egypt whose demands and concerns are legitimate.
However, Ethiopia denies having the slightest regard to Egypt or Sudan’s share of the waters of the Nile for that matter.
The point of “the main divergence” would concern the period of filling the dam in order to allow the production of electricity for the benefit of four East African countries namely Djibouti, Kenya, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. The water flow of the Nile would then be used mainly for the operation of the electricity generators.
However, Tunisian diplomacy seems to ignore these elements by blindly supporting Egypt’s position.
Where have Tunisia’s diplomatic experts gone? They would certainly not have advised or condoned such a diplomatic blunder which would risk rekindling the flame of the Arab-African conflict. Otherwise why the Arab-African countries of the region (Algeria, Morocco, Libya, and Mauritania) have not adopted the same position as Tunisia in relation to the Ennahdha dam?
Hopefully, Ethiopia won’t hold a grudge. Rumors are already echoing that the disgruntled Ethiopian authorities are harassing Tunisian residents in Ethiopia as well as the consular corps there, which has become persona non grata.
