Ethiopia summoned Sudanese ambassador to Addis Ababa on Thursday over controversial remarks made by the acting foreign minister of Sudan.
Ali Yusuf, the acting foreign minister of Sudan, in an interview this week said Sudan will protect its water rights and all options including war are open. The Sudanese minister urged Ethiopia to sign an agreement with Sudan and Egypt.
Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have been embroiled in a dispute over GERD for years. Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is being built over river Nile by the Ethiopian government in the Benishangul Gumuz region of Ethiopia. The dam has almost been completed. The electricity generated from GERD is being exported by Ethiopia to neighboring countries. Egypt and Sudan, downstream river Nile countries, have been opposing the construction of GERD, asking Ethiopia to sign a legally binding agreement about dam operations. Ethiopia is not willing to sign any legally binding agreement about GERD.
The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, on Thursday, summoned Sudanese ambassador to Ethiopia and registered its protest over Sudanese Foreign Minister’s remarks.
A civil war has been ongoing in Sudan since last year. General Abdul Fattah al Burhan’s military is faced with Rapid Support Forces led by Hamdan Dagalo. The likelihood of Sudan waging war on Ethiopia is not very high. However, Egypt is likely to put more pressure on Ethiopia. Egypt is deploying its military as peacekeepers in Somalia, Ethiopia’s neighbor. The Egyptian military deployment in Ethiopian neighborhood is being seen as an attempt to pressurize Ethiopia into signing a legally binding agreement about GERD.
Ethiopian Govt Refuses to Talk to the Armed Group in Oromia
Military Helicopter Crashes at Bahir Dar Airport
Somalia: Jubaland Forces Surrender to Federal Forces