Ethiopia refused to negotiate with Mubarak’s regime over water, believing no one could stop its projects on the Nile – British Documents

The documents also reveal that the UK had predicted, 36 years ago, that Egypt would face water shortages throughout the remainder of the 21st century due to the “improbability of an agreement” among the nine Nile Basin states regarding water distribution.
In February 1988, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, and Zaire signed an agreement to establish an international committee on drought and Nile waters. British officials considered this an encouraging move, but a limited one. Their assessment described the agreement as a “very small step” since it excluded key states in the basin “especially Ethiopia”, which contributes 86 per cent of the Nile’s main flow from its highlands. The UK emphasised the need for a “comprehensive programme” for the development of entire basin.