Egyptian Rice farmer shows his drought damaged rice crop and cracks in the rice terrace soil caused by over 70 days without water in the village near Balqis 260 Km to the northeast of the Capital Cairo in June 10, 2008. This farm was seen in an area that was until recently underwater and used in agriculture. Photo by Nasser Nouri تصوير ناصر نوري 

Four East African states have signed an agreement to seek more water from the River Nile – a move strongly opposed by Egypt and Sudan. Under colonial-era accords, the two countries get 90% of the river’s water. Upstream countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia say it is unfair and want a new deal but nothing has been agreed in 13 years of talks. A further three countries were represented at the meeting in Entebbe, Uganda, and may sign up later. BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says there is a danger that the split could hamper any further efforts for all nine countries involved to negotiate how the waters should be shared. The BBC’s Wyre Davies in Cairo says that for Egypt, water is a matter of national security. Egypt has dismissed the Entebbe agreement, saying it “is in no way binding on Egypt from a legal perspective”. “Egypt will not join or sign any agreement that affects its share,” ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. … “If we don’t have an agreed co-operative framework, there will be no peace,” Kenya’s director of water resources John Nyaro told the BBC before the meeting. “Where there is no rule of law, the rule of the jungle does not provide peace.”

East Africa seeks more Nile water