Media’s portrayal of the Nile colonial treaties and its implications for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam disputes

This article examines the discursive representation of the Nile Water Treaties as portrayed by Ahram Online , Sudan Tribune and The Ethiopian Herald , national newspapers in Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, respectively. Guided by Postcolonial Theory, the study employs the Postcolonial Critical Discourse Analysis method. Findings reveal that these newspapers divergently portrayed the Nile treaties as binding, alternative and obsolete trichotomies, respectively. We argue that the structural legacies of colonialism, as evidenced by colonial treaties, still influence how contemporary media portrays projects on transboundary resources. Consequently, such divergences contribute to conflicting terms rather than cooperation between the three riparian countries regarding the project.