CAIRO — Egyptian national forces, figures and parties recently announced the inauguration of the Popular Front for the Preservation of the Nile River, a campaign that aims to push the people and the government to participate in defending the country's right to water and thwart the risks arising from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which is scheduled for a second filling in the upcoming rainy season in July and August.

In its opening statement on June 1, the Popular Front said the GERD crisis necessitates a general national mobilization to thwart the risks arising from the dam, adding, “The people are an authentic party and must be aware of everything that is going on. Instead of being a spectator of a fateful issue, [people must] rather be an active partner in supporting all efforts to advocate for national rights.”

The Popular Front called for exerting pressure on Ethiopia to sign a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam, as well as an agreement not to establish any future projects without the approval of the downstream countries, namely Egypt and Sudan. The Popular Front also stressed the criminalization of selling or delivering water outside the borders of the Nile countries, specifically to Israel.

The formation of the Popular Front for the Preservation of the Nile River comes amid the stalled GERD negotiations in light of Ethiopia’s insistence on moving forward with the second filling without an agreement with the two downstream countries, and its rejection of all technical proposals on the rules of filling and operating the dam that Cairo presented during previous negotiation rounds or those proposed by international mediators. Meanwhile, Egypt has stepped up diplomatic efforts to persuade Ethiopia to sign a binding agreement vowing not to harm Cairo's share of Nile River water.