Related Articles
Ahram Online
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on Egypt and Sudan to “nurture the narrative towards building peace, cooperation and mutual coexistence” of the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). His remarks were published on his official Twitter account on Thursday.
“GERD was constructed through the earnest contribution of all citizens of Ethiopia. It holds multiple benefits for Egypt, Sudan and the East African region at large”, Ahmed said in his statement.
He stressed “Ethiopia’s intention to construct the dam was to allow regular electricity generation throughout the year”. “The dam does not consume water and allows it to flow to downstream countries uninterrupted”, Ahmed added.
“The benefits for downstream countries are often untold”, Ahmed claimed, adding; “the dam would provide Sudan with protection from floods and water shortages during drought and dry periods”. He alleged the GERD will help Sudanese water infrastructure to be operated optimally as the water flow would be regulated.
“Egypt also benefits from water conservation at the GERD, instead of wastage of billions of cubic metres of water to evaporation and in downstream flood plains. The GERD helps to prevent future spillage that overtops the Aswan Dam”, he explained.
It is unclear if Abiy’s statement is an invitation to revive African Union (AU) sponsored talks in Kinshasa with Egypt and Sudan, which reached deadlock in April 2021, owing to Addis Ababa’s “intransigence”.
Egypt and Sudan have been negotiating for almost a decade with Ethiopia to reach a legally binding and comprehensive deal on the GERD’s construction.
Despite warnings from Egypt and Sudan about any unilateral steps regarding GERD before an agreement is reached, Ethiopia unilaterally implemented the first phase filling in 2019, and the second phase of filling in July 2021 without the two countries’ consent.
Earlier this month, Ethiopia disclosed plans to remove 17,000 hectares (40,000 acres) of forests around the dam. The removal is part of engineering works for the third filling of the dam’s reservoir.
