Ethiopian Prime Minister Abi Ahmed confirmed that the recent political turmoil in his country would not delay his plans to start filling the giant Renaissance Dam, while both the Egyptian government and the Muslim Brotherhood rejected any unilateral action on the dam.
On Tuesday, Abi Ahmed told members of Parliament in a question-and-answer session that "the purpose of the breaking news is to make the Ethiopian government turn a blind eye to the dam."
Violent protests erupted in the capital, Addis Ababa, and the surrounding Oromo region, after the murder of popular singer Hashalu Hundisa, who sparked ethnic protests that killed 166 people in clashes between demonstrators and security forces, according to the latest official toll reported by the authorities last weekend.
Abi Ahmed denounced the attempt by some local politicians to take advantage of Hondissa's killing to topple his government, and said, "One cannot become in power by overthrowing the government, destroying the country, and provoking ethnic and religious anarchy." "If Ethiopia becomes Syria, if Ethiopia becomes Libya, the loss will affect everyone." ".
Yesterday, the Ethiopian authorities arrested 5 senior members of a party representing the Oromo Nationality - the largest in the country - as part of a campaign that followed the recent protests.
In the same context, the Ethiopian Prime Minister said that once the Renaissance Dam file was returned to the African Union, we were surprised by news that Ethiopia agreed to stop filling the dam, stressing that this news was false, and the issue of stopping the mobilization was not at all raised in previous negotiations.
Abi Ahmed welcomed the return of the file to the African Union, considering it a step in the right direction, stressing his country's steadfast stance: "We will start mobilizing the dam while continuing negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement."
On the other hand, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, said that his country rejects any unilateral action on the Renaissance Dam before concluding the agreement in a manner that takes into account the interests of all parties.
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood also condemned what it called "intransigence" by the Ethiopian government towards the lifeline of the Egyptian and Sudanese peoples, and their internationally recognized historical rights in the waters of the Nile, denouncing Ethiopia's insistence to take unilateral positions in a common water issue governed by international agreements and rules.
The group affirmed its rejection of any agreements, whether those signed in 2015 or will be signed later that lead to prejudice to the right of life of the Egyptian people and its internationally recognized historical rights, and stressed that there is no room in major crises for individual decision-making, but collective responsibility borne by the national group, and translated by the institutions of the state protecting its national security and rights The next generations.
Ethiopia has repeatedly said it wants to fill the dam's reservoir this month, in the middle of the country's monsoon season, but Egypt and Sudan are pushing for an agreement first on how to operate the giant dam.
Ethiopia says the electricity expected to be generated from the Renaissance Dam is vital to pushing for development projects in the impoverished country of more than 100 million people.
However, Egypt says that the dam threatens the flow of the Nile waters, most of which originate from the Blue Nile where the dam was built, and its repercussions may be devastating to its economy, water and food resources. Egypt derives 97% of its water from the Nile.