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Egypt objects to Ethiopia

filling GERD reservoir

ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA has started its summer filling of the The developments come after Tunisia and
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Norway at the start of July offered to consider
Egypt claimed this week, just days before the taking the GERD dispute to the July session of
United Nations Security Council is due to dis- the United Nations Security Council.
cuss the issue. At the start of June, Ethiopia rejected the Arab
The Egyptian government said it had received League’s call for the GERD hydropower dispute
an official note from the Ethiopian government with Egypt to be referred to the UNSC.
that the filling had started, and that it firmly Addis Ababa wants to continue with the exist-
rejected the unilateral measure. ing African Union (AU) negotiating framework,
The Egyptian irrigation ministry said the even though Cairo claims it has broken down
move was “a violation of international laws and and wants to bring in the UN.
norms that regulate projects built on the shared In April, the Sudanese government appealed
basins of international rivers.” to the UN Security Council to break the dead-
There was no immediate comment by Ethi- lock in talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan
opian government officials confirming that sec- on the GERD.
ond-phase filling had begun. But a senior water This follows the latest failed round of talks in
ministry official told AFP news agency it would Kinshasa, brokered by the Democratic Republic
be in line with the calendar Ethiopia has long of Congo, which holds the AU presidency.
said it would follow, Al Jazeera reported. Earlier in June, Egyptian and Sudanese offi-
Ethiopia argues that adding water to the res- cial stated their deep concern about Ethiopia’s
ervoir, especially during the heavy rainfalls of proposed filling and operation of the GERD this
July and August, is a natural part of construction. summer without first reaching a binding legal
“Filling goes in tandem with the construction,” agreement.
said a senior official at the water ministry. “If the In early May, Ethiopia said it had begun pre-
rainfall is as you see it now in July, it must have liminary work to prepare for filling of the reser-
begun.” voir at the GERD.
Later in the week, Ethiopian Prime Minis- Meanwhile, the US has also become involved.
ter Abiy Ahmed said that the Ethiopian parlia- The US envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Felt-
ment that “his country’s goal behind building man, in May called on the three countries to find
the Grand Renaissance Dam is only to meet its a solution to their dispute over the GERD pro-
electricity needs, without posing a threat to the ject, which has threatened to destabilise relations
downstream countries.” between them.
“Ethiopia’s goal here is only to meet its elec- Feltman said that US President Joe Biden was
tricity needs and reduce the concerns of Sudan “serious in settling such a sensitive issue.”
and Egypt, as well as bring lasting peace and Ethiopia is building the 6,500-MW GERD
prosperity to our region,” said Abiy Ahmed. hydro project in a bid to drive economic develop-
The volume of the accumulating water would ment and to meet rising demand for electricity.
depend on the amount of seasonal rain that fell Ethiopia has rejected calls for wider international
in Ethiopia, Egyptian Irrigation Ministry spokes- involvement in the talks, and is likely to oppose
man Mohamed Ghanim told a local TV channel. any efforts by the UN.
“We won’t see any effect now on the Nile. We The EU and the US have both affirmed their
have a month or a month and a half ahead of us,” willingness to mediate in the negotiations on the
he said. GERD, between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.™

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