By Nicholas Bariyo

KAMPALA–The Ugandan president has backed Ethiopia’s plans to construct a new $4.7 billion hydro power plant along the river Nile, which Egypt is fiercely opposed to over fears that will hurt water supply to its 84 million people.

President Yoweri Museveni said in a national address that Ethiopia as well as other African nations need such power plants to spur their economies, and protect the environment from peasant farmers, who continue to cut forests for bio mass fuel. Mr. Museveni’s remarks came on the same day the Ethiopian parliament ratified a treaty stripping Egypt of its right to use the bulk of the Nile River’s waters for domestic purposes.

The spat is threatening to explode into a full-scale conflict. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi told Egyptian national television earlier this week that his country does not want war over the feud but would keep “all options open.”

“It is advisable that chauvinistic statements coming out of Egypt are restrained and through the Nile Valley Organization rational discussions take place,” Mr. Museveni said. “No African wants to hurt Egypt; however, Egypt cannot continue to hurt black Africa and the countries of the tropics of Africa.”

The Egyptian embassy in Uganda declined comment.

Most countries upstream of the Nile, including Uganda, the source of the river, have ratified the treaty, drawing the ire of Egypt. Under the colonial agreement of 1929, Egypt is entitled to at least 55.5 billion cubic meters a year of the Nile’s waters, estimated at around 84 billion cubic meters. Lower basin nations including Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda are opposed to the treaty. “The threat to the Nile is lack of electricity in the tropics and lack of industrialization, therefore, electrification so that people stop using wood fuel is the correct way,” Mr. Museveni said.

Source: The Wall Street Journal