Africa-Press – Ethiopia. The Nile Basin countries should effectively implement the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) to address common challenges and benefit their people, Assistant Professor Ter Majok at Peace and Security Studies Institute of Juba University emphasized.
Recall that the CFA has officially entered into force as of 13 October, 2024.
Speaking to ENA, Majok stated that the CFA provides a crucial framework for Nile Basin countries to work together and utilize the shared water resources sustainably.
By implementing the CFA, the river basin countries can address the growing water challenges and ensure the well-being of their populations, he said.
“The population is exploding and we are cutting trees. We will have less rainfall. People and governments would resort to use the waters from the Nile to ensure that we have food, otherwise, it will be challenging. That legal framework, will guide each country what to do within the limit of their territorial integrity. So I urge members of the Nile Basin countries to work together to ensure that the river is utilized to the best interest to the people,” Majok elaborated.
To this effect, the Nile Basin countries should implement the CFA to address challenges and benefit their people, he urged.
“My message is very simple, let us respect the framework agreement. Countries have devoted time, resources, and expertise to develop that document, which has gone through a wider range of consultation, and each country has ratified, and from that, it’s just a matter of implementation,” Majok stated.
“Member states of the Nile Basin have signed and ratified that framework, including South Sudan, which is actually the last country to ratify. So in terms of legality, that document is binding, and you have the rights of each member states of the Nile basin to do whatever (they wish) with the waters within their territory. So it still takes us…to cooperation and how riparian countries understand their common interests within the legal framework,” Majok said.
As the document is binding, people can even go to courts or to African Union to pursue legal cases if there actually arises misunderstanding of the treaty, he elaborated.
Stating on need for discussing misunderstanding, he went on as saying “I still believe that these countries that are involved can sit on the table and negotiate and discuss points of misunderstanding.”
The scholar emphasized the need for countries to prioritize cooperation, resolve disputes through dialogue, adhering to the principles outlined in the CFA.
“This framework agreement will bring lasting peace because it has given each party or each country its right, should there be any dispute, people can attest to that and can challenge decisions that come outside this framework. This framework still calls for the countries to work in collaboration,” he noted.
Genuine cooperation and understanding of mutual interests are crucial for resolving disputes through the CFA, the scholar noted.
For More News And Analysis About Ethiopia Follow Africa-Press