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Sudan calls on UNSC to prevent Ethiopia, Egypt taking unilateral decisions on dam

June 3, 2020 at 9:25 am

Sudan yesterday called on the UN Security Council to push the parties involved in the Renaissance Dam issue to avoid taking any unilateral measures that might negatively affect regional and international peace and security.

This came in a letter sent by Sudanese Foreign Minister Asma Mohamed Abdallah to the Chairman of the UN Security Council, which included an explanation of Sudan’s position on developments related to the Renaissance Dam negotiations, according to a statement issued by the ministry.

Abdallah called on the UN Security Council, currently chaired by France’s permanent representative Nicolas de Rivière, to “support Sudan’s efforts to resume negotiations in good faith in order to reach a comprehensive and satisfactory agreement for all parties.”

READ: Ethiopia escalates Renaissance Dam crisis with decision not to notify Sudan and Egypt about start of dam’s filling

The letter included a detailed presentation of the initiative recently adopted by Sudan, following several contacts made by Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and his counterparts in Egypt and Ethiopia which led to approving the resumption of negotiations at the level of water and irrigation ministers.

The statement stressed that “Sudan’s principled belief in negotiations in good faith stems from a conviction of the importance of establishing a solid base for cooperation between the three countries based on serving their interests and meeting their needs.”

The statements also confirmed “Sudan’s commitment to the rules of international law stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses.”

According to the statement, one of the most important rules of the Convention “is the equitable and reasonable use of water resources, refraining from causing significant harm to other riparian states and peaceful settlement of disputes.”

Cairo has repeatedly expressed concerns over the potential negative impact of building the dam on the flow of its annual share of the Nile’s water, which amounts to 55.5 billion cubic metres, while Sudan receives 18.5 billion cubic metres.

However, Addis Ababa says the dam was not intended to harm Egypt’s interests but has been built to generate electricity.

READ: Arab, Gulf countries intervene to help with Ethiopia dam dispute