Ethiopian refugees protest persecution over dam project
Dozens of Ethiopian refugees from the country's Oromia tribes staged a protest on Sunday, protesting alleged mistreatment by Egyptian citizens in the wake of the Ethiopian government's controversial Grand Renaissance dam initiative.
Demonstrators called for an end to persecution in Egypt outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in 6th of October, on the outskirts of Cairo.
One protester, Yahia Mohamed, told the state-run al-Ahram newspaper that Ethiopians are encountering hostility because of the Ethiopan government's decision to erect the dam on the Blue Nile.
Ethiopian refugees are unhappy with the divisive project and oppose the government, Mohamed claimed.
Many Egyptians fear the Renaissance dam project threatens Egypt's share of water supplies coming from the River Nile.
Ethiopia announced in late May it planned to divert the course of the Blue Nile, a main tributary of the River Nile, before constructing a hydro-electricity dam in the area.
The announcement has sparked fears in Egypt and Sudan that the project may reduce water shares, while the Ethiopian administration has strenuously denied the move will affect countries downstream.
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