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CAIRO – May 15, 2020: Sudan has rejected a proposal by Ethiopia to sign an initial agreement allowing the filling of the controversial Great Renaissance Dam of Ethiopia
GERD
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Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok on Tuesday sent a letter to his Ethiopian counterpart, Abiy Ahmed, disapproving of a proposal by Addis Ababa for a deal on the first fill of the dam.
“I cannot accept the signing of a draft agreement for the first phase (filling the dam) because it raises legal and technical problems that need to be addressed, “Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said in a statement.
The director of the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies and Thought, Khaled Okasha, said the Sudanese measure is bringing the matter to a good track, which is based on cooperation and negotiation.
Dr. Khaled Okasha
He explained that Ethiopia took advantage of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) to cancel all the agreements, and according to point zero, it was announced through its “populist” mechanisms that it pursued from the beginning.
The Ethiopian National Council for Coordinating Public Participation in GERD Construction has already announced that Ethiopians have contributed more than Birr 530 million (about $ 10 million) to the construction of the dam, even after the outbreak of the pandemic, according to the Director of the Office. General Roman Gebreselassie.
Ethiopians have contributed millions of Birr to the construction of the dam, even after the outbreak of the pandemic, he noted.
Support has been further strengthened after the “wrong stance” by certain countries, including the United States, to ignore Ethiopia’s sovereignty, he explained.
Okasha has claimed that the Sudanese Prime Minister’s move came after Ethiopia’s intentions to continue the project solely without consulting Khartoum and Cairo became apparent, threatening the interests of both countries.
This adds to the dangers related to the dam’s security requirements, which the Ethiopian side has been ignoring, constantly pressing for the fill stage with the aim of aiding internal and political conflict through the construction of the dam. , without taking into account the sovereignty and authentic rights of Egypt and Sudan.
He added that Ethiopia is also seeking this to blame the problem on both Cairo and Khartoum, according to flawed and outdated Ethiopian theories that claim disagreements between Egypt and Sudan.
Okasha further underlined that the new Sudanese government is now correcting many of the flaws of the previous regime, which had been operating in contradiction to Sudanese national interests.
Hamdok stated in his letter the importance of reaching a tripartite agreement between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, adding that reaching a comprehensive agreement can only be achieved through the immediate resumption of negotiations.
“The only way to reach a comprehensive agreement is for all parties to immediately return to the negotiating table,” added Hamdok.
The United States Treasury Department and the World Bank intervened as observers last year to facilitate talks between the three countries after negotiations repeatedly failed thanks to Ethiopia.
Ethiopia in February rejected a US-mediated agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.
In response to the Ethiopian proposal, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reiterated his country’s “unwavering commitment to concluding a mutually beneficial agreement on GERD.”
Egypt stated in a message sent in April to Ethiopia’s Ahmed that any agreement on GERD must be comprehensive and must regulate the entire process of filling the dam.
Sudan’s chief negotiator Hamad Saleh said his country is moving to resume negotiations under the agreement negotiated in Washington, adding that his country’s moves could end with the resumption of negotiations.
