Nubian Egyptians compensated for abandoning homes, land to make way for Aswan dam in Egypt

By Arab News

A compensation scheme to recompense Nubians affected by the construction of the Aswan High Dam and reservoir has been further extended by the Egyptian government.

The awarding of damages is being conducted in line with a set of rules drawn up by a special committee and includes compensation payments, and the replacement of homes and agricultural land lost to the dam project.

And government-led work to develop the Upper Egypt region and Aswan governorate has been forging ahead with the aim of improving living standards for the local population.

Alaa El-Din Fouad, Egyptian minister of parliamentary affairs and chairman of the committee, said that all relevant state agencies were involved in helping the Nubian people satisfy their rights to compensation.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi ordered a review of the situation for those not previously compensated.

Aswan Gov. Ashraf Attia said more than 3,600 families had so far benefited from the process, and noted that a ceremony was held in January 2020 to hand over compensation to a group of Nubians in the presence of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

The governor pointed out that 265 projects were underway in Nasr Al-Nuba, in addition to the construction of several new roads.

The Nubian civilization dates back 10,000 years with the name Nubia meaning land of the bows, reflecting the archery skills of its people.

Nubian influence extended throughout the Nile Valley to the Mediterranean Sea in the north and the people of Nubia were historically the first line of defense in protecting Egypt’s southern borders.

In 1902, when the Egyptian government and British authorities decided to build a reservoir to protect Egypt from Nile flooding, there were around 18,000 people living in the Nubia region near the border with Sudan.

Significant flooding had led to the loss of 10 Nubian villages and the displacement of their residents.

In 1912, following more deluges that left a further eight villages under water, the government raised the reservoir’s height, doing the same thing again in 1933 after 10 more villages became submerged.

After the revolution of July 23, 1952, the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser started planning for the construction of the Aswan High Dam, and in 1963 the remaining Nubian population was moved to Nasr Al-Nuba and Kom Ombo in Aswan.

El-Sisi later set the ball rolling to compensate Nubians forced to leave their land and homes.