Ethiopia has announced that it is proceeding with the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and its second filling, stating that this step is unrelated to negotiations with Egypt and Sudan.
According to Sputnik, Ibrahim Idris, the legal advisor in the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, said, "Ethiopia has the right to build the dam according to a document signed by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan," noting that "Addis Ababa will carry out the second filling of the dam, independent of the ongoing negotiations between the three countries," as reported by the Sudanese website "Al-Nailin." Idris pointed out that his country will continue with the dam's construction despite what he described as "unacceptable" attempts from Egypt and Sudan.
Last week, the Sudanese High Committee for the Renaissance Dam proposed to shift the current negotiation mechanism to a quadripartite track that includes the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States. According to the Sudanese news agency "SUNA," the Sudanese committee emphasized the necessity of "rejecting Ethiopia's direction to implement the second filling of the dam lake before reaching a joint coordination mechanism between the two countries," and supported the negotiation team's proposal to move forward with communicating with the four international parties to explain the idea of the international quadripartite mediation regarding the Renaissance Dam.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry confirmed on Wednesday his support for a Sudanese proposal to develop the negotiation mechanism for the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, through the formation of an international quadripartite committee that includes, in addition to the African Union, both the United States and the European Union, as well as the United Nations.
The negotiations over the Renaissance Dam, involving Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt since 2011, have faced significant conceptual and legal disputes. The dam has raised regional tensions, particularly with Egypt, which relies on the Nile for 97 percent of its water needs. Cairo and Khartoum seek a legally binding agreement, especially regarding the management of the dam.
Sudan warns of the risks posed by the filling of the Renaissance Dam reservoir to its country and asserts that any unilateral filling of the reservoir by Ethiopia next July would pose a direct threat to its national security. Sudan calls for expanding the negotiation umbrella concerning the dam to include, along with the African Union, the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations, effectively transitioning the role of these institutions from observers to mediators.
