The mediating in GERD disagreement
The United States and the European Union showed their willingness to mediate in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) conflict.
On Monday, Sudan’s Sovereign Council chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan welcomed US Special Envoy for Sudan Ambassador Donald Booth and Chief of the European Union Delegation to Sudan Ambassador Robert van den Dool at the presidential palace in Khartoum. Indeed, they debated the differences between Khartoum, Cairo and Addis Ababa about the mega dam and tensions on the eastern borders between Sudan and Ethiopia.
Burhan appealed the US and EU to help in reaching a common deals about the GERD and promote the peace operation in Sudan, according to a Sovereign Council press statement. He also asserted Khartoum’s adherence to peaceful and diplomatic solutions on contested matters with Addis Ababa.
In the meantime, the two officials affirmed the necessity to reach a diplomatic solution for the GERD conflict based on a satisfactory approach for the three sides.
The statement said that the approach must guarantee Ethiopia’s capability to generate power, Sudan’s territorial integrity and dam security and Egypt’s water rights.
The officials also greeted the government’s signing of the declaration of principles with Abdelaziz al-Hilu’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N al-Hilu) that would facilitate the way to attain a comprehensive peace in Sudan.
Furthermore, Van den Dool stated that the EU is ready to support the economic reform operation in Sudan and participate to the government’s Family Support program that would provide direct money transfers each month for backing weak families. The two officials arrived in Khartoum on Monday for a two-day visit as part of a regional tour that would include Egypt, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic.
The Sudanese government had already suggested expanding the mediating sides to include the EU, United Nations, US and African Union, whishing that it will reach a solution in interrupted GERD discussions.
