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Ethiopian PM says “No one can make Ethiopia halt Construction of the Dam”

Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed spoke about Mega Dam project over which Egypt is inviting international mediation claiming that the tripartite talk is stalled. There seems to be a pressure in Egypt for a military action against Ethiopia to which the Ethiopian Prime Minister seems to be responding.

Ethiopian PM _
PM Abiy Ahmed speaking at the parliament on Tuesday. Photo screenshot from ETV.

borkena
October 22, 2019

Construction of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is underway in a way that does not harm the interests of lower riparian countries while ensuring the national interest and dignity of Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told members of the House of Peoples’ representatives.

It was in an attempt to address questions from members of parliament during the fifth year, second regular session of the parliament on Tuesday, which he attended, that the prime minister talked about the dam. The session was televised as was the case usually.

He said that the Dam is still an issue because we failed to complete it in time. Had it been completed, the case about it would have been closed. So members of the parliament need to give special attention to the completion of the dam, he added.

He also talked about his plan to keep the volume of water that Egypt and Sudan are getting. The decrease in the volume of water is related to the shortage of rainfall, and the best way to help maintain the volume of water is to focus on the reforestation program that Ethiopia is undertaking, in the eyes of Abiy Ahmed.  And it is in the interests of Sudan and Egypt to support “Green Development” that Ethiopia has embarked on; the prime minister advised the two countries in the lower course of the river.

While claiming that there is no special agenda between Egypt and Ethiopia on the issue of the Dam, he responded to the military action that different interest groups and media in Egypt are pushing for. 

“… War will not be a solution, but if necessary [Ethiopia] could mobilize a huge population for it. No one can stop Ethiopia from building the renaissance dam” said PM Abiy Ahmed.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed flew to Russia soon after attending the meeting in the house of people’s representatives in the morning to attend the Russia-Africa summit. He will also be meeting with Egyptian President Abdul Fatah el-Sisi on the sidelines of it to hold talks on the dam.

The latest talk between the water ministers from the three countries in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, was stalled after Ethiopia rejected Egyptian proposal on grounds of protecting its sovereignty and use its fair share of the water.

Ethiopian water minister disclosed on Sunday that Egypt wanted to open an office in Ethiopian soil in the project site so as to monitor the operation and filling of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

As well, Egypt wants the dam to release 40 billion cubic meters of water annually but the volume of water fluctuates between 29 to 79 billion cubic meters of water. At the same time, Egypt wants to maintain the water level of the Aswan Dam at 165 meters above sea level.

And Egypt is seeking international mediation claiming that Ethiopia is not cooperating in the tripartite dialogue. Ethiopia, on the other hand, has rejected international mediation saying the viable way to resolve the dialogue is through tripartite consultations.

More than 80 percent of the Nile water flowing to Egypt and Sudan originates from the Ethiopian highlands and provides Egypt not only with water but with alluvial soil. 

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Tell’em tiger!!! Tell him to his face!!! If that halawa drunk beela adub sends one of his clunky f-16’s wheezing by then you know what is gonna happen. The river is gonna refuse flowing in its current path. That is a dead giveaway. That is what rivers always do after earth shaking sonic book. They will be hit with fluvial tsunami. That makes them change the course. Solved!!! Case closed!!!!

  2. ” Mobilizing huge population to war ” had been EPRDF’s strategy to cling to power since the Ethio-Eritrean war.

    EPRDF systematically wiped out it’s opponents during the Ethio-Eritrean war.

    If the Ethio-Eritrean war didnot happen the brave heroes who died fighting the Ethio-Eritrean war were ready to save the country from EPRDF dictatorship, that’s why Need and his cousin Isayas somehow started ear to kill each other’s opponents. I will kill your inner opponent you kill mine /I scratch your back you scratch mine strategy .

    We all know if even half of the Ethiopian lives lost n the Ethio-Eritrean war made it out the war alive EPRDF and it’s constitution would have not survived to cling to power in the 21st Century.

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