Ethiopia Tackles Sudan Over Dam Statement

Ethiopia is demanding Sudan “desists from an unhelpful campaign” when it comes to the latest negotiations around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd).

The two countries, along with Egypt, are at loggerheads over the filling of the giant reservoir that will sit behind the dam in northern Ethiopia, which straddles the Blue Nile.

Sudan and Egypt fear that it could restrict the water supply along the Nile, which is vital to both states.

On Saturday, Sudan’s foreign ministry criticised Ethiopia’s objections to the continued application of treaties signed in the colonial era that govern how the waters of the Nile should be shared.

Sudan pointed out that a fundamental principle of international relations is that previous treaties are stuck to.

Ethiopia responded on Tuesday saying that the “sole aim” of these treaties was to deny a fair share of the water to those upstream.

With less than two months until the start of the rainy season, there is growing concern that the Gerd’s reservoir will start filling without an agreement for the second year in a row.

In recent months, Sudan’s rhetoric about the dam has moved from being broadly welcoming to being suspicious and belligerent.