It is always said that the lion is king of the jungle. But that is not always the case. Thanks to National Geographic, haven't you seen the chasing lion being chased by the chased? When a lion contends with an elephant, rhinoceros, or hippopotamus, the so-called king of the jungle runs for his life. And it is usually the lion who kindles the conflict in the first place.
Yet there are some who obediently submit to the lion. Among them are hyenas, foxes, and wolves.
Once upon a time, a group of these "subjects" went hunting with a lion, as narrated by Aesop in his fables:
The Lion went once a-hunting along with the Fox, the Jackal, and the Wolf. They hunted until at last they surprised a stag and soon took its life. Then came the question of how the spoil should be divided. "Quarter me this Stag," roared the Lion. The other animals skinned it and cut it into four parts.
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The Lion then pronounced judgment: "The first quarter is mine as King of Beasts; the second is mine as arbiter; the third is mine for my share in the hunt; and as for the fourth--well, I should like to see which of you dares to lay a paw upon it." The Fox walked away grumbling in a low growl, "You may share the labors of the great, but you will not share the spoil."
Our "best friend" Egypt often wants to act like this lion. However, it is not always wise to do so.
Just recently, as reported in The Ethiopian Herald (August 14, 2025), Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told his Egyptian counterpart that there should always be a reasonable share of the Nile.
Yet it seems Egypt always insists on taking the lion's share. Whether other Nile Basin countries are thirsty, hungry, or in darkness--it seems of no concern to Cairo. That is why Egypt repeatedly invokes the outdated 1959 and other archaic agreements on the Nile. But which countries of the Basin signed those agreements? Almost none, except Egypt. It genuinely seems Egypt signed those treaties with itself.
These agreements excluded the rest of the Basin--from Ethiopia to Uganda, DR Congo to Eritrea, Kenya to South Sudan, Rwanda to Burundi, and Tanzania. According to statistics, the population of these countries, including Sudan (a nominal signatory of the 1959 agreement), is about 520 million.
Egypt's population is about 105 million. How can a country of 105 million impose on 520 million and claim they cannot use a single drop of the Nile without its consent?
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The story of the lion taking the entire share of the hunt is an old one--and Egypt's approach to the "gift of the Nile" mirrors it. The country has often displayed greed by monopolizing the river's resources for itself alone. Such behavior diminishes Egypt's greatness, making it resemble Shylock, rather than a magnanimous leader of the region. Egypt frequently denies its neighbors the right to self-development using their own natural resources, including the Abay (Blue Nile) and its tributaries.
No country intends to harm downstream states in doing so. But Egypt, by contrast, is often accused of destabilizing the region, fueling conflicts rather than fostering cooperation. The countries of the Nile Basin, learning from the "experience" of elephants, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses, must ensure their development--rather than follow the path of hyenas, foxes, and wolves who remain subdued. Ethiopia's experience with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which is soon to be inaugurated, should be viewed in this light.
As Yohanes Jemaneh noted in the same issue of The Ethiopian Herald, Egypt's stance has had a negative impact on mutual benefit among Nile Basin countries--except itself. But peace-loving people across the Basin and beyond hope Egypt will come to terms with its neighbors. On the eve of GERD's inauguration, Ethiopia and its fellow Basin countries have no intention of celebrating over Cairo's thirst.
