Page 13 - AfrElec Week 22 2021

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US to maintain support for

GERD resolution

ETHIOPIA THE US is to continue its diplomatic efforts to after it let 4.9bn cubic metres of water into the
find a solution to the Grand Ethiopian Renais- dam in the summer of 2020. The dam has a
sance Dam (GERD) dispute, US State Depart- planned total capacity of 70 bcm.
ment Spokeswoman Geraldine Griffith said at Ethiopia also intends to test two of the 6,475-
the weekend. MW hydro dam’s 16 planned turbines.
“We are now in the first stage and we will con- The US initiative followed the collapse of talks
tinue our diplomatic partnership with the three earlier in the year between the three countries,
countries [Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia] to reach which were brokered by the AU with support
the most suitable solution to this crisis,” Griffith from Washington.
told Egypt’s Extra News TV channel. Egypt and Sudan have previously supported
Griffith said the US was working to find fit- more intervention from the US, while Ethiopia
ting solutions for the GERD dispute and was views such a move as useless and prefers to con-
aware of the concerns of the three countries. tinue to push for agreement under the sponsor-
“The US is studying the issue and we know ship of the AU.
that there must be a settlement that is agreed by Ethiopia’s opposition to US involvement is
all parties,” Griffith added. also caused by new US sanctions against Ethio-
The comments come as Ethiopia has con- pia, imposing visa restrictions on Ethiopian and
firmed its plans to go ahead with the second Eritrean officials accused of crimes related to the
filling of the massive dam’s reservoir as planned six-month conflict in Tigray region.
during the rainy season, which starts in July. The region has seen bloody armed conflict
Addis Ababa said that it has followed the between the Ethiopian government and the
spirit of the African Union (AU)-sponsored Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
GERD talks carried out so far, and that it was In a statement last week, US Secretary of State
confident that talks would resume. Antony Blinken also announced that restrictions
Meanwhile, Egypt and Sudan have main- would be imposed on economic and security
tained their opposition to Addis Ababa’s deci- assistance to Ethiopia, but that humanitarian aid
sion, given that there is still no legally binding would remain for areas such as health, food and
agreement between the three countries. education.
Egypt and Sudan have repeatedly warned that In April, Sudan appealed to the UN Security
Ethiopia’s decision to proceed with the second Council to break the deadlock in talks between
filling of the dam without a deal seriously threat- Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on the GERD, but
ens the water interests of the two downstream without success. ™
countries.
Ethiopia’s plan to fill the dam further comes

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