The Renaissance Dam .. Egypt and Sudan condemn the “unilateral” steps of Ethiopia, and Afriqi seeks mediation

Egypt and Sudan renewed the warning about the threats posed by the Renaissance Dam, and criticized what they called “unilateral steps” for Ethiopia, while Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki held talks in Khartoum in an attempt to mediate to resolve the crisis.

The Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel-Aty said that Egypt faces many water challenges, “the most dangerous of which is the unilateral Ethiopian steps regarding the Renaissance Dam.”

In a speech during a virtual session of the Climate Dialogue Forum, Abdel Ati added that Egypt is one of the most arid countries in the world, with a water gap that reaches 90% of renewable resources.

He also warned of the dangers of an expected rise in sea levels, indicating that this rise threatens the salinity of large areas of agricultural lands in the Egyptian Delta, as it will negatively affect the quality of groundwater.

For his part, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok said that a binding agreement must be reached on the Renaissance Dam, believing that the absence of this puts Sudan at the mercy of Ethiopia.

Hammoudak added that the world should realize the real risks that the Renaissance Dam poses to the safety of people in Sudan and Egypt.

While Hamdok affirmed Sudan’s respect for the African Union and its role in the dam file, he called for activating the role of observers so that they would turn into real mediators to be able to implement an agreement quickly, as he put it.

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pose a threat

In turn, Sudanese Minister of Irrigation, Yasser Abbas, warned that the Renaissance Dam poses a threat to half of Sudan’s population.

He also stressed his country’s keenness and insistence on negotiating with all parties as the only way to end this problem, as he put it.

The Sudanese Minister of Irrigation added that sharing data with Ethiopia about the dam is a right for Sudan and not a grant from Addis Ababa.

US support

For its part, Sudan News Agency reported that the American delegation visiting the country confirmed Washington’s readiness to play an active role in the Renaissance Dam file.

Meanwhile, the US special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, will start an African tour in the coming days that will include Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki held talks in Khartoum on the same issue.

According to Sudanese press sources, Afewerki is mediating during his visit to Khartoum to settle the border crisis between Sudan and Ethiopia, in addition to discussing the Renaissance Dam file.

National security

The new mediation attempt comes while the Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maryam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, confirmed that Khartoum deals with the second filling of the Renaissance Dam as a national security issue that affects the lives of millions of Sudanese.

Addis Ababa insists on a second filling of the dam with water in July and August, even if no agreement is reached, and says that it does not aim to harm the interests of Egypt and Sudan, and that the purpose of building the dam is to generate electricity.

On the other hand, Egypt and Sudan adhere to reaching a tripartite agreement that preserves their water facilities and ensures the continued flow of their annual share of the Nile water, estimated at 55.5 billion cubic meters and 18.5 billion cubic meters, respectively.