Ethiopia refused invitation for Dam Summit, Sudan says
On Friday, a Sudanese minister declared that Ethiopia refused an invitation to join a summit to talk about the delayed negotiations about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and he indicated to go to international mediation to solve their differences.
As explanation, Ethiopia’s hopes are depending of economic development and power generation on the Blue Nile dam that Egypt worries this would risk its water supply. Sudan is also worried about the influence on its own water flows.
Discussions in Kinshasa supervised by the African Union failed previously this month, after that Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok invited his Ethiopian and Egyptian counterparts to Khartoum.
Ethiopia’s determination
Ethiopia also stated that it want to complete the second phase of filling the dam during the next rainy season, a move Sudan and Egypt refused before reaching an obligatory legal deal.
Sudan’s irrigation minister Yasir Abbas stated in a statement: Given that the environmental and social impacts and accompanying risks of the GERD have not been studied, various options are being considered, including The International Court of Justice, The Human Rights Commissions, and the COMESA Court. COMESA constitutes the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.
He also said: Failure to reach an agreement paves the way for raising a complaint to the Security Council, considering that the GERD poses a real threat to regional peace and security.
Abbas also indicated that Ethiopia refused a Sudanese suggestion to use EU, US and UN mediators led by the African Union, adding that while earlier negotiations between the three countries led to an agreement about 90% of unresolved issues, that progress was currently in doubt.
On his part, Ethiopian water minister Seleshi Bekele informed Reuters that Ethiopia didn’t consider that negotiations between the three countries were ended or had failed, and said that the suitable next step would be the meeting of the heads of states under the patronages of the African Union.
