Africa-Press – Ethiopia. University scholars have strongly rejected any attempt to deny Ethiopia’s legal, historical and geographical rights to utilize the Abay River and secure access to the Red Sea, describing such positions as unacceptable and detached from present realities.
The scholars emphasized that Egypt’s continued reliance on colonial era narratives over the Abay River has no place in the modern world.
Ethiopia’s use of its natural resources is a legitimate right grounded in international principles and historical facts, they noted.
The scholars noted that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was completed through the collective effort, resources and determination of the Ethiopian people, despite repeated external attempts to obstruct the project.
They said firm government leadership, sustained diplomatic engagement and strong public participation enabled Ethiopia to foil what they described as conspiratorial efforts, leading to the completion of the dam in September 2025.
They also underlined that Ethiopia’s ongoing efforts to secure sea access are based on historical, legal, geographical and natural grounds, describing sea outlet access as an existential issue for the country.
Approached by ENA, scholars from Hawassa University said it is impossible to deny Ethiopia’s legal and natural rights to development and utilization of the Abay River and access to the Red Sea.
A researcher at the Rift Valley Research Center under Hawassa University Institute of Technology, Mihret Denanto, said, “Any country has the right to develop and use its natural resources.”
He added that Ethiopia has every right to properly develop and utilize the Abay and other water resources, stressing that “Egypt’s colonial narrative is unthinkable and outdated in this era.”
Mihret further emphasized that alongside water resource development, securing a sea outlet through the Red Sea is essential.
“Ethiopia’s right to secure a sea outlet is appropriate by all standards and it is also a matter of survival,” he said, adding that realizing this goal should be “the responsibility of all and the homework of the generation.”
For his part, a lecturer and researcher at the university’s Department of Water Resources and Engineering, Tewodros Assefa, stressed the need to continue strengthening efforts to develop and utilize Ethiopia’s water resources and to advance access to the Red Sea.
“Egypt’s attempts to hinder Ethiopia’s development efforts and its right to use its resources are completely unacceptable,” he said, adding that Ethiopia’s legal and natural rights to develop and utilize the Abay River and secure access to the Red Sea “cannot be obstructed by outdated colonial ideology.”
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