ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia's massive hydroelectric dam project on a tributary of the Nile has raised regional tensions notably with Egypt, which depends on the huge river for 97% of its water supply, and with Sudan.
Ethiopia said Friday it has completed the third filling of the mega-dam's reservoir, a development that could raise further tensions with its downstream neighbours. At 6 695 kilometres, the Nile competes with the Amazon for the title of world's longest river.
It is a crucial supplier of water and hydropower in a largely arid region. Its drainage basin of more than three million square kilometres covers 10 countries: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The two main tributaries - the White Nile and the Blue Nile - converge in Khartoum before flowing north through Egypt and into the Mediterranean Sea. Around 84 billion cubic metres of water is estimated to flow along the Nile every year.
