One statement made Egypt jump: "The Nile will be under our control"

Ethiopia announced its intention to build three additional dams on the Blue Nile and declared that the flow of water to Egypt and Sudan would be under its control. In response, an official Egyptian source told Al-Arabiya that Cairo will not allow Ethiopia to establish facts on the ground regarding the Nile, and that the illusions of control over the river contradict the rules of international law. The source added that the recent statements undermine Ethiopia's claim that its actions are for development purposes only. The Nile is considered an existential issue in Egypt, as the country receives almost all of its water needs from it. On the other hand, Ethiopia argues that the historical agreements were signed during the colonial era and left the upstream Nile states without real rights. The conflict has intensified since the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam began in 2011. The dam was inaugurated in September 2025, but the countries have not reached a binding legal agreement to regulate its operation, data sharing, and the amount of water released during drought years. It should be noted that Al-Arabiya did not report where and when the statement attributed to Ethiopia was made.