- Disclosures from the Ethiopian Prime Minister indicate that project will not be completed this year
- Key security challenges during the course of the project life shared
borkena
Toronto – The Government on Sunday announced that the 3rd and 4th turbines of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) are now operational.
From Ethiopian government owned media video footage aired on Sunday and Monday, the Prime Minister, several other senior government officials and the defense chief of staff were on the project site. T
President Sahlework Zewde was not seen in the video footage along with other government officials. When she spoke about the project earlier this year following the latest filling, she indicated that the project would be completed this Ethiopian year. Abiy Ahmed is saying that the project
As it turns out, Abiy Ahmed’s government seemed to be unable to complete the project and the celebration ended up being about the start of two more turbines. The enthusiastic and euphoric message with which Abiy Ahmed attempted to capture the attention of Ethiopians did not seem to have worked that well.
Yet, his tweet about the trip to the project site – Guba – and the two new turbines have dominated all state owned media outlets.
“Yesterday we started the 3rd and 4th turbines of our Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The rest of the units are proceeding as planned. Thanks to the creator who made it happen!,” Abiy Ahmed tweeted on X page.
He sent a message to lower riparian countries that they are safe with their water needs from the river.
“More good news has emerged from Guba for the lower Abbay basin countries. Along with the uninterrupted flow of the river, the dam’s spillways have been opened, releasing an additional 2,800 cubic meters of water per second. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) plays a crucial role in managing water flow, mitigating flood risks, and ensuring that downstream nations receive a steady supply of water, particularly during droughts. This carefully regulated release will significantly enhance agricultural productivity, boost power generation, and improve resource utilization throughout the region,” he said.
The security challenge
In an hour-long talk on state-owned media regarding the dam, Abiy Ahmed shared information about the security challenges faced during the construction phase of the project.
“This dam, all Ethiopian People and friends of Ethiopia should understand, is not built by [only] idea, money and time. It is also blood that built this dam,” he said.
He claimed that external forces trained and deployed “Plus or minus 15,000” armed groups with the aim to disrupt the construction. He added that the forces used were Ethiopians.
“We did not talk much about it. Even now I will not tell the details. It is not convenient to say,” he added. There were reports of security problems at the construction site and that the defense force is deployed. According to his claim, there was a time when mine clearing duty became part of the arrangement to deliver material needed for the construction including cement.
Much of the security challenge that was in the news from Benishangul Gumuz region – where the project is located – was about radical ethnic groups targeting ethnic Amharas. Still much of the security problem in the country – even when the alleged external forces – trained are from ethnic radicals. Abiy Ahmed has been widely criticized in recent years for having a soft spot for and tendency to perpetuate ethnic politics and its structures in the country.
The Prime Minister did not say who the external forces were. There have been multiple reports in the past of Egypt working to sabotage the dam after years of negotiations yielded no results.
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These Toronto based Ethiopians are hardcore haters. They know how to turn any simple or good news into a negative thing. May God soften your hearts and keep you from the works of evil you wish to see take place. Ethiopia deserves economic growth, security and development of all sorts. May the work of you Toronto based haters fail and bring you to shame. Ethiopia will prevail whether you like it or not.
From what I am hearing from relatives in the old country is there has been violence and theft problems against the power lines mainly in the two regions of the country, Oromia and Amhara regions. The rebels in both regions are reported to have been cutting away electrical cables and selling them in the black market costing the country millions in US dollars to replace the stolen cables. No wonder why el-Sisi is so emboldened to send his troops to a joint he has never been to. And this article, this news report will be an extra oomph for the sugar drunk megalomaniac in Al-Qahirah.
AS sources close to Abiy Ahmed described, the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Dr) did not say who the external forces were but made an implicit reference that can be linked to Borkena forces in Toronto.