Africa: Upstream states challenge Egypt over Nile waters

A water-sharing treaty among five upstream Nile Basin countries - to the exclusion of Egypt and Sudan - has reignited the longstanding dispute over water distribution. Local experts, however, say the agreement will not jeopardise Egypt's historical share of Nile water. "Egypt has relied on the waters of the Nile for thousands of years," Hani Raslan, head of the department for Sudan and Nile Basin countries at the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, told IPS. "No one can set a limit on Egypt's use of the Nile, which is protected by international law."