Sudan lobbying against Ethiopia over GERD

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Sudanese transitional government is lobbying against Ethiopia regarding the disputes over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam (GERD) in African Continent and Middle East regions amid serious warns from Sudan, saying Ethiopia is going further with the preparations for the second filling of the dam.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Sadig Al-Mahdi is engaging in a wide West African tour in Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana amid other African countries earlier this month, including Uganda and South Sudan, the Sudanese ministry said.

Al-Mahdi has arrived in Senegal on Sunday after meeting with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.

The visit aims to put pressure on Ethiopia regarding the controversial Ethiopian dam, especially in terms of the disputes over the second filling of the dam, the matter that Ethiopia is pressing on unilaterally while Sudan and Egypt strongly rejected.

Al-Mahdi has also made a Middle East visit recently, including Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia well as meeting the ambassadors of Morocco, Mauritania, Turkey and others to explain the stance of Sudan regarding the dam.

Sudanese foreign ministry spokesman Mansour Bold said that the visit is aiming at many purposes head by boosting the ties with African countries, but the main agenda is to express the views of Sudan regarding the dam.

“Our Sudanese diplomacy is focusing on many principles towards this issue, first is the African solution for the African disputes, second is the win-win situation regarding the benefit from the African rivers and third is the rejection to the unilateral decisions to such mutual interests’ issue,” he explained.

“We are encouraging the African countries to put pressure on Addis Ababa to convince it to stop any unilateral measures regarding the dam in order to pave the way for an African solution to this problem,” he further added.

For his part, the head of Sudan’s negotiation team on the dam, Mustafa Hussein al-Zubair, disclosed to Middle East Eye that Ethiopia had begun the actual preparations for the second filling of the dam.

A Sudanese water expert Ahmed Alufti believes that the Sudanese diplomacy and technical teams have wasted many times to pressure on Ethiopia, alarming that this is the last time for both Sudan and Egypt to end the Ethiopian unilateral steps.

“Unless Ethiopia signed a binding agreement with the downstream countries and share with them the relevant data, the interests of Sudan and Egypt would be harmed,” he explained.

“Sudan is in need to do these tireless political and diplomatic movements and continue its pressure to serve the interests of Sudan regarding this issue,” he concluded.

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Al-Mahdi has arrived in Senegal on Sunday after meeting with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.

“Unless Ethiopia signed a binding agreement with the downstream countries and share with them the relevant data, the interests of Sudan and Egypt would be harmed,” he explained.

“Sudan is in need to do these tireless political and diplomatic movements and continue its pressure to serve the interests of Sudan regarding this issue,” he concluded.