South Sudan to ratifying Nile Basin cooperative deal opposed by Egypt, Sudan

JUBA – South Sudan is ready to ratify the Nile basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) which gives the youngest African youngest rights and obligations over equal sharing of the Nile Basin water resources, a senior government official said.

Emmanuel Ladu Parmenas, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation Minister said the agreement on the Nile Basin Cooperation Framework has been tabled in the parliament awaiting approval.

“South Sudan is in the process of ratifying CFA, Cooperative Framework Agreement and it has been forwarded to the parliament for deliberations. Once they have deliberated and agree to sign that it becomes a document that the country has ratified,” Ladu told reporters at the Nile Basin Initiative press conference held in Juba on Sunday.

If signed, South Sudan will be the seventh riparian country to sign the agreement on sharing the Nile waters.

Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda have ratified the Comprehensive Framework Agreement, which is a framework, which appreciates accommodating the rational interests of all riparian countries of the Nile Basin.

The CFA will enter into force after six countries have ratified or acceded to the document and deposited it with the African Union.

However, arguing that their “acquired rights” to the waters of the Nile River would not be protected, Egypt and Sudan immediately registered their intention not to sign the agreement because they objected to the wording of some provisions of deal.

Established in 1999, the NBI serves as a forum through which member state seeks to develop the River Nile in a cooperative manner, share substantial socio-economic benefits, and promote regional peace and security.

Ladu disclosed that Juba will host a regional Nile Council of Ministers meeting next week to discuss the change in the top leadership of NBI, with the position of chairman of the Nile Council of Ministers moving from Rwanda to South Sudan.

“South Sudan is going to chair Nile Council of Ministers which is going to take place on 26 of this month and as I said the current chair is from Rwanda and during the process of the meeting, the chairmanship will shift over to South Sudan,” he said.