After Ethiopia announced the start of filling the Renaissance Dam .. Egypt is considering asylum to the Security Council and a campaign "invalid" calls for withdrawal from the Principles Agreement

The popular campaign known as "False" called for Egypt's immediate withdrawal from the Principles Agreement with Ethiopia signed in 2015, in response to the Addis Ababa declaration that it would start filling the reservoir of the Renaissance Dam without an agreement with Egypt and Sudan.

The campaign called - in an official statement - Egyptians and political forces to nullify the agreement, and called for a referendum to vote on it, stressing that if the regime refuses to hold a referendum, it will organize it via its online platform.

The campaign also called on all political forces, with different orientations inside and outside Egypt, to overcome any disagreement and unify their position against what it described as the abdication of the Nile.

In turn, the leader of the Egyptian Revolution Tomorrow Party, Ayman Nour, said that the file of the Renaissance Dam was transferred to the responsibility of the army when Sisi was Minister of Defense in 2013, at the request of Sisi himself.

Nour added - in an interview with Al Jazeera - that Egypt now bears the price of the adjustments in which Sisi managed the dam file, he said.

As for the professor of political science at Cairo University, Seif El-Din Abdel-Fattah, he told Al-Jazeera that "the uniqueness of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi by taking a decision on the issue of the Renaissance Dam was behind the weakening of the Egyptian negotiator, by signing a principles agreement with Ethiopia without a referendum of the people or consulting his parliament.

He added that Sisi violated that constitution, which stipulates the referendum of the people in any agreement that affects the sovereignty of Egypt.

Mono step

The Minister of Ethiopian Irrigation, Selici Baqli, announced yesterday, Wednesday, that his country had started filling the reservoir of the Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, saying that "the project that was waiting for the Ethiopian people is now moving towards achieving its goals."

Baqli also confirmed the authenticity of the newly published satellite imagery of the dam and its fullness in water, stressing that the filling of the Renaissance Dam must begin at this time of heavy rain.

According to Baqali, "The construction works of the dam reached its filling capacity. This stage allows the start of the initial storage process with 4.9 billion cubic meters, out of 74 billion cubic meters, which is the total capacity of the lake behind the dam."

For his part, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Cairo requested an urgent official clarification from the Ethiopian government regarding the validity of the information received about the start of filling the Renaissance Dam reservoir.

Egyptian media reported that Cairo is considering seeking asylum in the Security Council, after Ethiopia announced the start of filling the dam.

In Sudan, the government said on Wednesday that water levels in the Blue Nile had fallen by about 90 million cubic meters per day, after Ethiopia had started filling the huge Renaissance Dam reservoir.

The Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources said in a statement, "It was evident through the flow meters in the Dimim border station with Ethiopia that there is a retreat in water levels equivalent to 90 million cubic meters per day, which confirms the closing of the gates of the Renaissance Dam."

The ministry added in the statement that Sudan rejects "any unilateral measures taken by any party, especially with the continuation of efforts" for negotiations between the two countries and Egypt.

This development comes after Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan failed to reach agreement in a new round of African Union-sponsored talks on regulating the flow of water from the giant dam.

In turn, said Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations that "it is important for Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to find the right solution on the Renaissance Dam that will benefit all of its people."

For his part, German delegate to the UN Security Council, Christoph Huisgen, said that the council is ready to deal with the issue of the Renaissance Dam if the issue is brought up again.

The American position

In the same context, the US State Department spokesman said to the island that the United States supports a fair and equitable agreement on the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam, in a way that balances the interests of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.

He added that constructive dialogue and cooperation paves the way for success, stressing Washington's commitment to the three countries until a final agreement is reached.

The State Department spokesman also praised the recent talks led by the Sudanese, and said it was an attempt in good faith to find a solution acceptable to all parties.

The US Bloomberg website said earlier about US mediation to resolve the crisis, that US President Donald Trump's attempt failed to achieve a breakthrough to resolve a long-standing dispute over the dam.

The website added that Trump agreed in September to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s request to mediate the conflict with Ethiopia over the Renaissance Dam.

According to Bloomberg, Trump's public praise of the Egyptian president as his "favorite dictator" has sent a signal to African leaders that the United States will not be an honest broker.

The site mentioned how South African President Cyril Ramafuza spoke lightly of Trump's involvement in the Renaissance Dam crisis. According to the site, Ramavoza said that the American president might need to visit Africa to see things in person, but he would not.