Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated in a parliamentary session on Tuesday that the filling of the Renaissance Dam is no longer a priority for Ethiopia. He mentioned that his country has retained enough water and clarified that the High Dam in Egypt has not been affected as previously rumored, indicating that his government is open to dialogue and negotiation that achieve mutual benefits.
“We will listen to our brothers in Egypt, exchange views and ideas with them, and address their concerns,” said Abiy Ahmed.
He further pointed out that although the Blue Nile originates from Ethiopia, Addis Ababa has not politicized this matter. “We are happy to share our resources with others, and the Nile continues to flow to our neighbors and will not stop,” he said.
In another context, the Ethiopian Prime Minister mentioned that external parties want to wage a proxy war on his country through Somalia. He emphasized that gaining a maritime outlet is essential to ensure the flow of goods and supply chains to meet the rising population’s needs.
It is worth noting that the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, hosted the fourth and final meeting between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan on the issue of the Renaissance Dam in December last year. Subsequently, Cairo announced the conclusion of the negotiations on the dam.
The Egyptian statement then indicated that “Egypt will closely monitor the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam, and reserves its guaranteed right under international covenants to defend its water and national security if it is harmed.”
Cairo, being the most affected by the dam, had high hopes for the success of the negotiations, which were launched in mid-July last year, to expedite the conclusion of an agreement on the rules for filling and operating the dam within 4 months.
The Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met on the sidelines of the “Summit of Neighboring Sudan” on 13th July last year and agreed to set a 4-month deadline to reach an agreement on the dam’s filling and operation. However, the negotiations were effectively resumed at the end of last August.
These latest four rounds came after a freeze in the negotiations that lasted for more than two years, specifically since April 2021, following the failure of an African Union initiative to reconcile the views of the three countries, and the failure of all mediations.
Ethiopia is on the verge of completing the giant project, estimated at about $4 billion, aimed at building the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa, but it is causing regional tensions, especially with Egypt, which relies on the Nile River to provide about 97% of its irrigation and drinking water needs.
