Water and conflict in Africa: is the Nile a river of peace or conflict?

The dissertation addresses the lack of a legal framework for sharing water on the Nile river basin, which is a recipe for conflict. In the dissertation I made a case for a basin wide treaty on the Nile, that is anchored on the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization. The principle states that in using shared water resources, each state on the river Nile basin must have reasonable regard for the legitimate needs and interest of other co-basin states. The tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia which has attracted international attention is a sign of what can go wrong in absence of a basin wide treaty. As a sign of escalation, the dispute was discussed in the United Nations Security Council as a threat to international peace and security. The tension is due to the construction of the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance dam in Ethiopia, which Egypt is opposed to.