Ethiopia’s construction of a large hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, a major tributary of the Nile, has caused a fierce dispute. Saudi Arabia strongly supports Egypt and Sudan in this dispute.
The Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is the source of nearly a decade of diplomatic deadlock between Ethiopia and the downstream countries Egypt and Sudan. Ethiopia stated that the Renaissance Dam project is vital to its development, but the governments of Cairo and Khartoum are worried that the Renaissance dam will restrict it. Water for its citizens.
On Tuesday, on the second day after Ethiopia began to impound the Renaissance Dam, the Saudi Arabian National News Agency SPA reported that the country supports Egypt and Sudan to “maintain their legal water rights” and supports the efforts of the two countries to “contain this In accordance with the requirements of the two countries, the crisis should be resolved under the norms of international law.”
Saudi Arabia’s National News Agency SPA reported that “Saudi Arabia calls on the international community to step up its efforts to find a clear mechanism to initiate negotiations between the three countries to get rid of this crisis.”
It is reported that Tunisia has submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council, calling on Ethiopia to stop the impoundment of the Renaissance Dam. It is reported that an international organization composed of 15 member states may hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss the rejuvenation. The dam crisis.
The draft resolution obtained by Agence France-Presse called on Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to “at the joint invitation of the Chairman of the African Union and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to reach a binding agreement on the water storage and operation of the Renaissance dam within six months.”
The draft resolution added that the agreement reached should “ensure Ethiopia’s ability to generate electricity from the Renaissance dam while preventing major damage to the water security of downstream countries”.
The draft resolution also urges “the three countries not to make any statements or any actions that may endanger the negotiation process, and urge Ethiopia not to continue to take unilateral actions to restore water to the dam.”
The date for voting on the draft resolution has not yet been determined.
‘No unilateral action’
For many years, these three countries have been engaged in fruitless negotiations on the issue of dam rehabilitation, which began in 2011.
The focus of the dispute lies in the planned storage speed of the reservoir behind the dam, the annual water replenishment method, and how much water Ethiopia will release downstream if there are years of drought. Another point of dispute is how these three countries will resolve any future issues. dispute.
Egypt and Sudan hope to reach a legally binding agreement on the storage and operation of the Renaissance dam, while Ethiopia adheres to the guidelines.
Late on Monday, Egypt stated that it had received Ethiopian notification that it had begun the second phase of the water storage operation of the Renaissance Dam, adding that Egypt opposed the move, believing that it posed a threat to regional stability. Sudan said on Tuesday that it had received the same notice.
Ethiopia has previously announced that regardless of whether an agreement is reached, it will carry out the second stage of water storage for the Renaissance Dam in July, and believes that the water storage of the dam, especially during the heavy rains in July and August, is a natural component of the construction of the dam. section.
At the same time, the United Nations on Tuesday called on all parties concerned to recommit to talks, urging them to avoid any unilateral actions.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres spokesperson Stephen Dujarric told reporters in New York that he supports the role of the African Union as a mediator between the countries involved.
Dugaric said, “It is also important that there is no unilateral action that will undermine any solution. Therefore, it is important that people recommit themselves to sincerely participate in a real process.”
Dugaric, the solution needs to lead by example.
“Solutions have been found for others who share waterways and rivers. This is based on the principles of fair and reasonable utilization and the obligation not to cause major damage.”
The US State Department said on Tuesday that Ethiopia’s second-stage impoundment of the Renaissance Dam may increase tensions and urged all parties not to take unilateral actions on the Renaissance Dam.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the United States calls on all parties to commit to negotiate a settlement acceptable to all parties.
Ethiopia stated that the Renaissance Dam is critical to its economic growth and argued that the vast majority of Ethiopia’s population lacks electricity supply. The Renaissance Dam will generate more than 6,400 megawatts of electricity, greatly increasing Ethiopia’s current power generation capacity of 4000 megawatts. .
Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world, with a population of more than 100 million. Almost all of its water needs depend on the Nile. Egypt is worried that the rapid storage of the Fuxing Dam will greatly reduce the flow of the Nile, which may have a serious impact on its agriculture and other sectors.
Sudan hopes that Ethiopia will coordinate and share data on dam operations to avoid flooding and protect its power generation dam on the Blue Nile.
The Blue Nile River merges with the White Nile River in central Sudan. From there, the Nile winds northward through Egypt and into the Mediterranean.
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