In East Africa, water is an explosive issue

Climate change could in future exacerbate international conflicts. Experts say it's already led to a spiraling dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt over Nile river water rights. Ethiopia's situation is somewhat paradoxical, due to a law that harks back to the colonial era: even though the country is the source of over four fifths of the Nile's waters, Ethiopians aren't permitted to use the Nile to irrigate their fields. Back when Britain was in charge of most of East Africa, it decided to grant Egypt a monopoly on the Nile river waters. According to this same agreement signed between Egypt and Britain, Cairo may also veto any attempts to use the Nile for irrigation projects made by other riparian states, which include Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan. Full article: http://bit.ly/fkeFh2

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