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“We have asked for clarification on the reports on the US decision not to give the $ 130 million it allocated to Ethiopia,” Fitsum Arega, Ethiopia’s ambassador to the United States, said on Twitter. “We have heard that the problem is related to the ongoing negotiations on the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.” (Fake images)
Bloomberg
By Samuel Gebre
August 31, 2020
Ethiopia asked the US government to clarify reports that it could withhold about $ 130 million in aid in a bid to pressure the Horn of Africa nation to review its plans to fill a new dam that has offended its neighbors. .
“We have asked for clarification on the reports on the US decision not to give the $ 130 million it allocated to Ethiopia,” Fitsum Arega, Ethiopia’s ambassador to the United States, said on Twitter. “We have heard that the problem is related to the ongoing negotiations on the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.”
Ethiopia and Egypt are at an impasse on how the dam on a tributary of the Nile River will be managed. Egypt, which relies on the Nile for most of its freshwater needs, is opposed to any development that it says will affect the downstream flow, a recurring position in Sudan. Ethiopia is developing a 6,000 megawatt power plant on the dam and has asserted its right to use the resource for its development.
As part of its effort to end the stalemate, the United States is considering cutting aid that could affect security, anti-terrorism and anti-human trafficking programs, Foreign Policy reported.
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan came to a standstill in tripartite talks on the dam on Friday, Sudan’s Irrigation Minister Yasser Abas said.
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Ethiopia Requests Clarification From US On Dam Reported Relief Cut
The Associated Press
By ELIAS MESERET
August 31, 2020
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) – An Ethiopian diplomat says his country has asked the United States for clarification on a report that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo approved cutting up to $ 130 million in aid to Ethiopia due to the country’s dispute. with Egypt and Sudan. over a huge dam being built on the Blue Nile.
Fitsum Arega, Ethiopia’s ambassador to the US, tweeted on Monday saying that he heard the aid cut is related to the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and clarification is expected from the US later on Monday. . He added that his country is determined to complete the dam and said “we will bring Ethiopia out of the darkness.”
The planned cut was reported by Foreign Policy on Thursday night, sparking an uproar among some in Ethiopia, a US regional security ally. A State Department spokesman said Friday they had no announcements about the US Assistance “Right Now”.
The spokesperson added that “we believe that the previous work of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan shows that it is still possible to reach a balanced and equitable agreement in a way that takes into account the interests of the three countries. … We reaffirm our commitment to remain committed to the three countries until an agreement is reached ”.
Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam has sparked serious tensions with Egypt, calling it an existential threat and worrying it will reduce the country’s share of the Nile waters. Ethiopia says the $ 4.6 billion dam will be a driver of development that will lift millions of people out of poverty. Sudan, in the middle, is concerned about the effects on its own dams, although it could benefit from access to cheap electricity.
Years of talks between the countries have failed to reach an agreement. Key outstanding issues include how to manage water discharges from the dam during multi-year droughts and how to resolve future disputes.
Pope Francis recently urged Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to continue talks amid regional concerns that the dispute could lead to a military conflict.
Earlier this year, the United States tried to mediate the discussions, but Ethiopia backed away amid accusations that Washington was on Egypt’s side. Now the three countries report any progress to the African Union, which is leading the negotiations.
The dam’s 74 billion cubic meter reservoir saw its first filling in July, which the Ethiopian government celebrated and attributed to heavy rains. Ethiopia had said it would fill the dam with or without an agreement with Egypt and Sudan.
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Related:
Pompeo Approves Plans to Stop Aid to Ethiopia Over Nile Dam Dispute
fake images
The hill
08/28/20
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo approved plans to halt some of US aid to Ethiopia, Foreign Policy reported on Friday.
The aid cessation comes as the United States mediates a dispute over a dam on the Nile River that pits Ethiopia against Egypt and Sudan, according to Foreign Policy. The decision could affect up to $ 130 million in assistance to programs that include security, counterterrorism and human trafficking.
“Progress is still being made, we still see a viable path forward here,” a US official told the magazine. “The role of the United States is to do everything possible to help facilitate an agreement between the three countries that balances their interests. At the end of the day, it has to be an agreement that works for these three countries. “
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
Ethiopia and Egypt are stuck in negotiations over how the dam on a tributary of the Nile will be managed.
Egypt and Sudan, which depend on the Nile for much of their fresh water, oppose any development they say will affect downstream flow, including the 6,000 megawatt power plant Ethiopia hopes to develop at the dam.
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Is the Trump administration using aid to intimidate Ethiopia over the Nile dam?
It is unfortunate that the United States has decided to take the wrong side in a local African dispute regarding the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. As the following FP article reports, the Trump administration is cutting “some foreign aid” to Ethiopia because of the GERD. The plan may be intended to tip the balance in Egypt’s favor, but if history is any indication that this type of foreign intimidation does not work in Ethiopia. It is also worth mentioning that the dam, a $ 4.5 billion hydroelectric project, is being funded entirely by the Ethiopian people. (Fake images)
Foreign policy
The United States halts some foreign aid funds to Ethiopia over the dam dispute with Egypt, Sudan, some US officials fear the move will harm Washington’s relationship with Addis Ababa.
Updated: AUGUST 27, 2020
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo approved a plan to halt US foreign aid to Ethiopia as the Trump administration tries to mediate a dispute with Egypt and Sudan over the East African country’s construction of a huge dam on the River Nile. .
The decision, made this week, could affect up to nearly $ 130 million in U.S. foreign aid to Ethiopia and fuel new tensions in the relationship between Washington and Addis Ababa as it carries out plans to fill the dam, according to U.S. officials and aides to the Familiar Congress. with the matter. Officials cautioned that the details of the cuts are not yet set in stone and that the final figure could run to less than $ 130 million.
Programs that are in the works include security assistance, counterterrorism and military education and training, anti-trafficking programs and broader development assistance funding, congressional officials and aides said. The cuts would not affect US funding for emergency humanitarian aid, food assistance or health programs aimed at addressing COVID-19 and HIV / AIDS, authorities said.
The move is intended to address the standoff between Ethiopia and other downstream Nile River countries that have opposed the construction of the massive dam project, called the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt views the construction of the dam as a critical security issue given the country’s heavy reliance on the river for fresh water and agriculture, and in the past Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has hinted his country could use military force. to stop the construction of the dam.
Some Ethiopian officials have said they believe the Trump administration is siding with Egypt in the dispute. President Donald Trump has shown affection for Sisi, apparently calling him his “favorite dictator” during a G-7 summit last year. Officials familiar with the negotiations said the Trump administration has not approved parallel cuts in foreign aid to Egypt.
Administration officials have repeatedly assured all parties that Washington is an impartial mediator in the negotiations, marking one of the few diplomatic initiatives in Africa in which the president has played a personal and active role. These officials noted that Egypt has accused the United States of siding with Ethiopia in the dispute as well.
“Progress is still being made, we still see a viable path forward here,” said a US official. “The role of the United States is to do everything possible to help facilitate an agreement between the three countries that balances their interests. At the end of the day, it has to be an agreement that works for these three countries. “
But the measure is likely to face a sharp setback on Capitol Hill, according to congressional aides familiar with the matter. State Department officials briefed congressional staff on the decision on Thursday, attendees said, and during the session reported that the relationship between the United States and Ethiopia would remain strong despite a cut in aid because the United States may have difficult conversations “with friends”.
“This is a really fucking illogical way to show a ‘friend’ that you really care,” a congressional aide told Foreign Policy in response.
Read more “
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