Egypt Accuses Ethiopia Over GERD Flooding

Egypt has accused Ethiopia of "reckless," unilateral management of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) after its Sept. 9, 2025 inauguration, saying sudden, uncoordinated releases created a "man-made flood" that inundated farmland and villages in Sudan and pushed Nile levels up in Egypt. Cairo says it was forced to discharge extra water from the Aswan High Dam to protect Lake Nasser, a move that flooded homes in Menoufia and Beheira and prompted evacuations and warnings for low-lying delta settlements. Egyptian officials allege Ethiopian operators rushed reservoir filling and sharply changed release rates around the inauguration, violating technical and transparency norms and endangering downstream lives and security. Ethiopia has rejected those accusations, denying responsibility for the Sudan floods and disputing claims that GERD operations harmed downstream countries. The dispute has intensified tensions among Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt and prompted Egyptian authorities to monitor reservoir levels closely and adopt contingency measures during the rainy season.