Egypt Says All Options Remain on the Table to Protect Nile Rights, Calls GERD Operation Illegitimate

Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam told a State Information Service briefing in Cairo on September 21, 2026 — attended by more than 80 correspondents from roughly 45 outlets — that Egypt 'retains all measures guaranteed under international law' to protect its Nile water security, and that Ethiopia's unilateral, uncoordinated operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is illegitimate. Sewilam said Egypt's water security rests on an exceptionally narrow base — over 98% of its renewable water originates outside its borders, and its annual renewable supply of about 56.8 billion cubic meters falls far short of the roughly 123 billion cubic meters it needs, against a per-capita share of 472 cubic meters that is already below the 500 cubic-meter absolute-scarcity threshold. He contrasted Egypt's backing for Nile Basin projects that follow notification and consultation — citing South Sudan's Fula Dam — with what he called Ethiopia's unilateral approach to the GERD. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty separately criticized what Cairo views as Ethiopian attempts to assert ownership over the transboundary river. 'The passage of time does not mean that Egypt accepts the reality imposed on it,' Sewilam said.