The government of Ethiopia said it won’t be afraid of belligerent threats in connection to the controversial dam being built on the Nile after US President Donald Trump warned that Egypt may destroy it.
During the announcement of a breakthrough normalization deal between Israel and Sudan last night, President Trump suggested that “Egypt may destroy the dam.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, the office of the Ethiopian Prime Minister said the negotiation on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) with the riparian states has shown significant progress since the AU became seized of the matter as a manifestation of Africa’s capability to respond to its own problems.
“Nonetheless, occasional statements of belligerent threats to have Ethiopia succumb to unfair terms still abound. These threats and affronts to Ethiopian sovereignty are misguided, unproductive and clear violations of international law,” the statement said.
The horn of Africa nation said it abided by the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization of the Nile River on the basis of mutual trust.
“Ethiopia’s aspiration and commitment for development is best demonstrated through the unanimous support and contribution to the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
“From the very inception, GERD has been an attempt to answer what has been our generations’ quest for an equitable and reasonable utilization of the Abbay (Nile) and other rivers contributing to the Nile in Ethiopia,” it said.
Ethiopia contributes about 85 percent of the Nile and last August it completed the first phase of water to fill the dam before the end of its winter season.
Ethiopia has a rich history, patriotic citizens whose commitment to defend their country’s sovereignty is unparalleled and the nation will in no way cave in to aggression of any kind, nor give recognition to colonial treaties, the statement added.
MG/as/APA