A Reading of the Book “Sudanese Water Security and the Nile Basin”
Reviewed by: Ambassador Rashad Faraj Al-Tayeb
The book “Sudanese Water Security and the Nile Basin” by the Sudanese expert Professor Saif Al-Din Hamad Abdullah offers an in-depth examination of one of the issues most closely tied to the very essence of the Sudanese state and its future.
It approaches water not merely as a natural resource, but as a pillar of sovereignty, a factor of strength or vulnerability in national security equations, and an open arena where politics, law, and geopolitics intersect in a highly volatile region.
The book proceeds from a fundamental premise: that Sudan, by virtue of its geography and history, is not a marginal actor in the Nile equation, but rather its beating heart.
Its location between upstream and downstream states, and the diversity of its internal water resources, mean that any instability in its political or institutional order poses a direct threat to the basin’s overall balance.
Accordingly, the author establishes a firm link between the strength of the Sudanese state and its capacity to manage the water file, warning that state fragility inevitably translates into water insecurity, with far-reaching economic, security, and social repercussions.
Moving beyond traditional technical approaches, the book emphasises that the concept of water security cannot be reduced to hydrological measurements or supply-and-demand calculations alone.
Instead, it is a complex, multidimensional concept in which international law, diplomacy, political economy, environmental security, and even the ethics of war and peace are deeply intertwined.
In this context, water shifts from being a driver of development to an instrument of pressure, and from a shared resource to a bargaining chip that can be used in conflict as much as in cooperation.
In its assessment of Sudan’s management of the Nile issue, the book does not shy away from diagnosing areas of deficiency—whether in the absence of a comprehensive national strategy, weak coordination between technical and sovereign institutions, or the oscillation of negotiating positions vis-à-vis upstream and downstream states.
It demonstrates that Sudan has, at many critical junctures, dealt with existential issues through a reactive rather than proactive mindset, thereby losing opportunities to maximise gains and safeguard its interests within an exceptionally complex legal and international framework.
The book also provides a critical legal analysis of the evolution of Nile Basin agreements, from the colonial legacy to the Cooperative Framework Agreement, showing that international water law—despite its appearance of theoretical neutrality—remains in practice subject to political and economic power balances.
From this perspective, the author rejects the naïve reliance on legal texts alone, stressing that real effectiveness is achieved only when a strong state, efficient institutions, and a clear strategic vision back such texts.
In addressing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the book treats the project as an expression of a profound geopolitical shift in the region, rather than merely an engineering structure for electricity generation.
The dam, as the author argues, has reshaped power balances in the Nile Basin and the Horn of Africa, exposing the fragility of positions not grounded in an integrated strategy—particularly in the Sudanese case, which has suffered from the absence of a unified negotiating stance that harmonises technical interests with sovereign considerations.
The book does not overlook the impact of climate change as a genuine threat multiplier, intensifying droughts and floods, placing additional pressure on limited resources, and rendering fragile states more vulnerable.
In this light, water becomes an integral component of human security, inseparable from issues of displacement, poverty, and internal conflict—thus necessitating a comprehensive approach that transcends partial or short-term solutions.
A significant portion of the book is devoted to protecting water infrastructure in times of conflict, warning that the militarisation of water is no longer a theoretical scenario but a realistic possibility in a region rife with armed conflict.
Hence, the ethical and legal dimensions of water security emerge as red lines in warfare and as a collective responsibility that goes beyond national borders.
In sum, the book offers more than specialised academic material; it advances an integrated strategic vision that places a historic responsibility on the Sudanese state to redefine its relationship with water—from the position of an active shaper rather than a passive recipient, and from a logic of reaction to one of initiative.
As such, it stands as an important reference for policymakers, diplomats, researchers, and all those who recognise that Sudan’s future battle may not be fought over land alone, but over a drop of water that carries within it the meaning of sovereignty and survival.
Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=9738