Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ethiopia on Wednesday expressed its determination to keep filling its Nile Dam, despite threats from the other riparian states, Egypt and Sudan, which do not rule out any option to defend their interests.
These statements come a day after the failure of negotiations between the foreign ministers of the three countries in Kinshasa, sponsored by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, president pro tempore of the African Union.
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Ethiopia began construction of the Great Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2011. Before the filling began, Egypt and Sudan wanted a tripartite agreement on its operation, but Addias Ababa felt there was no reason to wait.
Faced with the current diplomatic deadlock, the fill, whose first phase ended in 2020, will continue during the next rainy season, starting in June or July, Ethiopian Water Minister Seleshi Bekele announced Wednesday.
“The filling will take place,” he said at a news conference. “We’re not going to give up in any way,” he added.
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From Khartoum, Sudan’s Irrigation Minister, Yasser Abbas, warned Addis Ababa that they are considering “all options” if “Ethiopia starts second supply without an agreement”.
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al Sisi also reiterated his warnings. “I say to my Ethiopian brothers: don’t touch a drop of Egyptian water, because all options are on the table.”
At the end of March, Al Sisi already evoked “unimaginable instability” when the dam threatens “a single drop of water” from Egypt.
Imminent danger
The work has been a source of tension between the three countries since the foundation stone was laid in April 2011.
This mega reservoir of 74,000 million cubic meters of water is located in northwestern and Ethiopia, near the Sudan border, on the Blue Nile that joins the White Nile in Khartoum to form the Nile.
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With an installed capacity of nearly 6,500 megawatts, it could become the most powerful hydroelectric power station in Africa.
Ethiopia says the energy it will produce is essential to meet the needs of its 110 million people.
But Egypt, which is 97% dependent on the Nile for irrigation and drinking water, sees the Ethiopian reservoir as a threat to its water supply.
Sudan, for its part, fears damage to its own reservoirs if Ethiopia proceeds to fill GERD completely before an agreement is reached.
The last attempt failed on Tuesday, after three days of negotiations.
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Ethiopia “directly threatens the people of the Nile Basin and Sudan,” warned Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al Sadiq al Mahdi, warning of an “imminent danger” to the region and the continent.
The Ethiopian Minister of Irrigation regretted Egypt and Sudan demanding more involvement from South African, American and European Union (EU) observers.
Ethiopia wants to favor the process sponsored by the African Union Presidency, headquartered in the capital, Addis Ababa.
According to Ethiopian diplomacy, negotiations should resume by the end of the month.