Addis Ababa, February 24, 2022 (Walta) – The Ethiopian government has disputed what it termed “propaganda” meant to derail the continuous progress on the operationalization and filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The Ambassador of Ethiopia to South Sudan, Nebil Mahdi Abdullahi, said the GERD project will not cause any harm to the downstream neighbors, Sudan and Egypt, as some reports have alleged.
He said the commencement of the dam would neither cause harm nor contravene the 2015 Declaration of Principle signed by the tripartite countries.
The diplomat said the opening of the dam should be considered as a regional development project, instead of viewed as a source of confrontation.
“Ethiopia proves that it has no hidden ill intention to harm Sudan and Egypt. No intention of blocking the Nile and creating a hunger for our brothers in Sudan and Egypt,” he stated.
“The GERD generation does not cause any significant harm to both downstream countries, this demonstrates to the world that propaganda by some countries is completely baseless, it does not compromise the 2015 declaration of principle,” said Amb. Mahdi.
In March 2015, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt signed an initial deal to end a long-running dispute over the sharing of Nile waters and the building of Africa’s biggest $ 4.2 billion hydroelectric projects in Ethiopia.
The two downstream countries had opposed the dam’s construction, saying it would block waters for irrigation and Sennar Dam in Egypt and Sudan, respectively, as the former reiterates its regional benefit, which outweighs the water scarcity that it may cause.
“The declaration of principle in the three countries signed says clearly that negotiations continue in parallel with the construction of the dam.” What Ethiopia did on Sunday does not contradict the declaration of principle that the three countries have agreed on,” said Amb. Mahdi.