October 12, 2026
US President Donald Trump brought the issue of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam back to the forefront of international events, through sharp statements he made during a massive gathering of his supporters in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, in which he considered that Ethiopia had “seized all the water” from the Nile River, and warned of the repercussions of this on Egypt.
Trump described the Renaissance Dam as one of the largest dams in the world, strongly criticizing its financing by the United States, and considering this investment a “stupid act.” He said the current situation had caused great harm to Egypt, adding: “They took all the water from a place called the Nile River, and this is not a good thing for Egypt. There is no longer water in the Nile River, but I addressed this issue.”
Trump’s statements gain importance in light of the extended dispute over the dam, which cost about $4 billion, and Addis Ababa completed its construction and opened it unilaterally in 2025, without reaching a binding legal agreement with the downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan.
Over the past decade, Cairo has long expressed its strategic concerns about the dam’s impact on its historical share of the Nile’s waters, especially in times of drought, categorically rejecting any unilateral measures that affect the river’s shared waters. Egypt stresses that the Nile waters represent an “existential issue” that cannot be negotiated, and demands, with Sudan, a binding agreement in accordance with international law that preserves the rights and interests of the three countries.
In the course of diplomatic moves, last January, Trump offered to resume high-level American mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia, an indication that reflects Washington’s desire to play an active role in reaching a permanent settlement to the conflict.
In this context, Trump affirmed, in a letter addressed to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, his absolute rejection of any country controlling the Nile’s resources unilaterally to the detriment of the downstream countries, stressing that settling the tensions related to the Renaissance Dam is a top priority for his administration seeking to bring peace to Africa and the Middle East.
