Sudan defends UN submission on Ethiopia dam

Sudan’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasser Abbas said that the memorandum submitted by his country to the United Nations Security Council does not constitute an escalation of the situation related to the dam that Ethiopia is constructing on the River Nile.

Nor does the memorandum signify a bias by Khartoum toward any of the sides concerned with the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Abbas added.

Sudan’s neighbour to the north, Egypt, has been expressing concerns that Ethiopia’s dam will severely reduce its water supplies. Addis Ababa says the dam was not intended to harm Egypt’s interests but has been built to generate electricity.

The Sudanese minister noted that Sudan’s submission of the memorandum is meant to reassert his country’s “inherent right” to weigh in on this critical issue.

READ: Sudan summons Ethiopia envoy over suspected cross-border attack

He added that both Egypt and Ethiopia submitted similar letters to the Security Council in May.

In the memorandum, sent to the Security Council on Tuesday, Sudan expressed its keenness on the resumption of trilateral talks with Egypt and Ethiopia “in good faith” and with the aim of reaching “a comprehensive and satisfactory agreement”.