Sudan reiterated its opposition to any unilateral measures to revive the dam and called on Ethiopia to continue negotiations in good faith. At the same time, Egypt called for the progress of the negotiation process, while Addis Ababa called on the EU to adopt a neutral stance.
The dispute between the three countries continues. Prior to this, despite the opposition from Cairo and Khartoum, Addis Ababa announced on Monday that it had completed the second phase of the water storage operation of the reconstruction dam on the Blue Nile.
On Tuesday, Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Hamduk emphasized the need to reach a binding legal agreement on the rehabilitation of the dam in accordance with international law.
Hamduk said in a televised speech on Tuesday that his country will spare no effort to reach a binding legal agreement on the restoration of the dam’s storage and operation, and is committed to safeguarding its national interests. In addition, Hamduk also called for Stay away from the so-called unilateral will.
Pray at the border
In this context, the chief of staff of the Sudanese Armed Forces Mohamed Osman Hussein carried out Eid al-Fitr prayers in the border areas that clashed with Ethiopia and said that after liberation and recovery, security and stability have been restored in these areas.
The Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation said yesterday that it rejected Ethiopia’s unilateral measures and emphasized that it is not too late to reach an agreement on the restoration of the dam crisis.
The Ministry of Irrigation of Sudan also announced in a statement that it rejected Ethiopia’s unilateral measures on the rehabilitation of the dam, which “imposed fait accommodating facts and ignored the concerns of Nile partners”.
Egyptian position
On the other hand, Egyptian President Sisi, in a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Johnson, reiterated Egypt’s firm position of upholding its historical rights to the waters of the Nile and protecting Egypt’s current and future water security.
Sisi also emphasized that the international community needs to take responsibility, seriously advance the negotiation process, and with genuine political will, reach a comprehensive, fair and legally binding agreement on the water storage and operation of the Renaissance dam.
On the other hand, the British Prime Minister made it clear that he supports the resumption of the negotiation process and a fair resolution of the crisis.
Call for neutrality
On the other hand, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demek Mekonen called on the EU, as an observer in the negotiation process for the restoration of the dam, to adopt a neutral position.
Mekonnen met with EU Special Representative Anita Weber in Addis Ababa yesterday and stated that Ethiopia is the second impoundment of the Renaissance Dam in accordance with the Declaration of Principles and it was carried out during the rainy season. Downstream countries cause actual harm.
The Ethiopian News Agency reported that the meeting included discussions on a border dispute with Sudan. Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mekonen stated that Sudan imposed its demands by force, which violated international law.
Yesterday, Ethiopia announced the end of the initial water storage operation of the second phase of the Renaissance Dam, and attributed the rapid completion of this process to the heavy rain in the Ethiopian plateau.
Ethiopia emphasized that it did not close the dam gates as expected, which allowed large amounts of water to flow into the Blue Nile and forced the Sudanese irrigation authorities to clear the excess water from the Roseres Dam.
When Ethiopia stated that it had completed its storage target at this stage, Egypt and Sudan questioned this. The two countries stated that the current construction level of the Renaissance Dam cannot store the predetermined amount of 13 billion cubic meters of water.
On July 8, the UN Security Council concluded that under the auspices of the African Union, it should concentrate its efforts to restart the dam rehabilitation negotiations and sign a binding legal agreement with Ethiopia that meets the needs of Egypt and Sudan.
In the negotiation process that began about 10 years ago, the three countries blamed each other for the failure of the African Union to initiate the dam restoration negotiations over the past few months.
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