In 2011, Ethiopia started construction on a dam along the Blue Nile River that the government coined the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Project, GERD. Projections predict the dam’s cost around $5 billion, which was around 7% of Ethiopia’s GDP in 2016. Egypt and Sudan lodged formal complaints against GERD’s construction due to their concerns about the dam’s impact on the Nile River. The complaints they lodged revolved around two major concerns: the legitimacy of the benefits versus drawbacks outlined by the Ethiopian government and concerns about the dam’s impact on the water supply downriver. Since the benefits of the dam include necessary poverty alleviation, it is important to outline a clear view of GERD’s history, each country’s side and an outside expert’s viewpoint on the project.
Tag: GERD
THE NORTH AFRICA POST: Egypt irked by Ethiopia’s announcement of 100 new dams’ construction
Egyptian officials and media have reacted angrily after Ethiopia announced Sunday it will build next year more than 100 dams aside the current disputed Nile River hydro dam, Anadolu news agency reports.
Ethiopian Premier Abiy Ahmed Sunday indicated that his country will build during the next fiscal year at least 100 medium and small dams to spur development.
Egypt is flexing its military muscle at Ethiopia
With the absence of a political solution for the crisis that erupted from Addis Ababa’s intransigence, and Egypt’s impatience regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a military option is now on the table, according to Cairo.
In the case of that happening, Sudan is set to pay the biggest price. The two combating nations do not share borders, and if the dam is destroyed fully or partially by Egypt, the direction of the flood will move towards Sudanese territories.
Sudan is ready to sue Ethiopia’s government due to GERD threats: Irrigation Minister
Sudan’s Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas said that Khartoum will bear great losses if Ethiopia insists on conducting the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam [GERD] without reaching an agreement.
Abbas said in a press conference that his country will store a billion cubic meters of water behind Roseires Dam as a precautionary measure against the second filling of GERD, planned in the next rain season in June.
Tigray crisis dents Ethiopia’s emerging image
Fighting continues in Ethiopia, despite Ethiopia’s premier Abiy Ahmed declaring victory over Tigrayan rebels in November 2020. With elections on the horizon, has the war in Tigray done more damage to Ethiopia’s unity?
“There is a full-scale war going on in Tigray. Sudan also invaded some 40 to 50 km (25 – 31 miles) of our border. There is also the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis with Egypt.”
Egyptian ambassador holds meetings with Canadian parliamentarians on Ethiopian dam issue
The meetings – creating awareness on the repercussions of Ethiopia’s unilateral measures pertinent to the filling and operation of the dam without a legal binding agreement – also included members of the Egyptian-Canadian Parliamentary Friendship Committee. The ambassador reiterated that Egypt is eager on resuming negotiations as long as Ethiopia has a political willpower to attain a solution.
US Continues Non-Humanitarian ‘Assistance Pause’ to Pressure Ethiopia to End Tigray Conflict
“The fighting must come to an end. There must be humanitarian access, which has been a problem,” the State Department’s acting Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Robert Godec, told VOA on Monday during a briefing by phone.
“We need the human rights abuses and atrocities to stop. We need the Eritreans and the Amhara [militia] to leave. And we need, really, an end to this conflict,”
Statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on the appointment of Ambassador Jeff Feltman
Ambassador Feltman’s work will build on our ongoing efforts to address the urgent crises in Ethiopia, where we continue to urge the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces, the cessation of hostilities by all parties, and unimpeded humanitarian access. We also urge leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to come together and resolve their disputes around the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam and their shared water resources. The United States is ready to work with our allies and partners to promote shared peace and prosperity across the Horn of Africa.
Sudan threatens legal action if Ethiopia dam filled without deal
Sudanese Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas says Ethiopia rejected invitation to three-way summit to discuss stalled negotiations over GERD.
““Given that the environmental and social impacts and accompanying risks of the GERD have not been studied, various options are being considered, including The International Court of Justice, The Human Rights Commissions and the COMESA Court.”
Armed group takes control of county in western Ethiopia – rights commission
The members of the Security Council expressed their deep concern about allegations of human rights violations and abuses, including reports of sexual violence against women and girls in the Tigray region and called for Benishangul-Gumuz has seen a surge of ethnic violence in recent months, including an attack in December that killed more than 200 civilians. The region is home to many ethnic groups, including the Gumuz, Agaws and Shinasas and the Amhara, and has seen increasingly bloody attacks on civilians.