US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that the United States is ready to help Ethiopia deal with the Renaissance Dam crisis, while Khartoum ruled out the option of war and confirmed that the debate revolves around political options.

In a statement, the White House said that Sullivan discussed with Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demiki Mekonnen, during a phone call, the importance of continuing dialogue between regional leaders, with the support of the African Union, to resolve differences over the Fashaqa border area between Sudan and Ethiopia, as well as the issue of the Renaissance Dam peacefully.

In the context, the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister stressed today, Friday, his country's confidence in African solutions for the continuation of the Renaissance Dam talks, stressing Ethiopia's keenness to "continue the tripartite talks under the auspices of the African Union in accordance with the principle of African solutions to African problems."

Excluding the military option

For its part, Sudanese Foreign Minister Maryam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi ruled out, on Thursday, the "military option" to prevent Ethiopia from continuing the project to build a huge dam on the Nile that raises severe tension with the countries bordering this river.

"There is no room for talking about the military option. We are now talking about political options," Maryam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi told reporters Thursday in Qatar.

"There will be a broad polarization of world opinion, and most importantly, African opinion, especially in the neighboring countries and the Nile Basin countries, to prevent Ethiopia from moving ahead with destabilizing the security," she said. Two important countries are Egypt and Sudan.

In a press release, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that what was stated by the Ethiopian Minister of Water and Irrigation regarding the refusal of Egypt and Sudan to participate in the mediation team in the Renaissance Dam negotiations is incorrect and untrue.

The ministry added that during the Kinshasa round of negotiations, the proposal for the participation of South Africa in the team of mediators within other countries emerged, and that Sudan and Egypt welcomed the proposal.

The statement indicated that Ethiopia rejected a proposal that the President of the Congo, in coordination with the international parties, facilitate the negotiation process to reach an agreement within 8 weeks.

initiative

For his part, the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, announced that his country had presented an initiative to support African mediation and bring views closer to the Renaissance Dam.

Al-Burhan added in a press conference in Doha that the authorities in Khartoum want Sudan to return to the global map, and to mobilize the necessary support for the Paris conference.

Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok warned of what he called the great risks that the dam poses to his country, compared to Ethiopia and Egypt if technical problems occur.

And he said - in a television interview - that in the event that a binding agreement on filling and operating the dam is not reached between the three parties, in accordance with international law, the dam will remain a source of great threat to Sudan.

Hamdok said that what is troubling about the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is its introduction into the complexities of domestic politics, which opens the way for a state of congestion.

He added, "We kept talking about the necessity of agreeing on a tight agreement within the framework of international law, which allows us as a country to receive information sufficiently and for periods, according to clear plans of what the Ethiopian side intends to do during the next 4 or 5 years."

Hamdok indicated that receiving information allows his country to draw up plans, address irrigation issues, and benefit from the dam.

Agreement with Uganda

On the other hand, Uganda signed a security agreement for exchanging military information with Egypt, in light of the escalating tension between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The Ugandan army said in a statement that the agreement was concluded between the Military Intelligence Presidency of the Defense Forces and the Egyptian Intelligence Service.

For his part, Major General Sameh Saber Al-Degwi, who recently headed the Cairo delegation to the capital, Kampala, said that Uganda and Egypt share the Nile River issue, and that cooperation between the two countries is inevitable, and stressed that what affects Ugandans in one way or another affects Egypt, according to the same statement.

On Wednesday, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, called on Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to take urgent and concrete measures to reduce tension over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

On Monday, a round of talks on the "Renaissance Dam" in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, ended without progress, according to statements by the Foreign Ministry of Egypt and Sudan, while Ethiopia accused the two countries of "obstructing" the negotiations.

Threats

The Sudanese Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources, Yasser Abbas, previously stated that all options are open for his country to deal with the dam crisis, including resorting to the UN Security Council.

"Yes, options are open to Sudan, including returning to the UN Security Council," Abbas said.

"We have precautions in several tracks, the first of which is technical," he added, referring to "a path of political escalation ... in accordance with international law" if Ethiopia continues filling the dam before reaching an agreement.

For his part, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi sent a similar message to Ethiopia on Wednesday, saying, "We say to the brothers in Ethiopia it is better not to reach the stage of compromising a water point from Egypt because all options are open."

Al-Sisi warned of the consequences of confrontations with countries, without clarifying, stressing that "cooperation and agreement are much better than anything else."

He said, "God wanted the water to descend there (Ethiopia) and reach here (Egypt) ... and what our Lord has done will not be changed by mankind."

And at the end of last month, the Egyptian president warned - during a press conference - against harming Egypt's water, and said, "We do not threaten anyone, but no one can take a drop of water from Egypt ... Otherwise, the region will witness a state of instability that no one can imagine."

Ethiopia's position

The Ethiopian Minister of Water and Irrigation, Seleshi Bakli, had announced that the second mobilization of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam would take place as scheduled in next July.

He stressed that his country is committed to providing full information on the process.

Bakli added that his country adheres to the principle of equitable use of the Nile water, calling at the same time to complete negotiations.

Addis Ababa insists on a second filling of the dam next July, even if no agreement is reached, at a time when Cairo and Khartoum adhere to first reaching a tripartite agreement that preserves their water facilities and ensures the continued flow of their annual share of the Nile water, which amounts to 55.5 billion cubic meters. And 18.5 billion, respectively.

The Grand Renaissance Dam is expected to become the largest source of hydroelectric power in Africa, with an expected capacity of 6,500 megawatts.

Ethiopia says the hydroelectric power produced by the dam is necessary to meet the electricity needs of its 110 million people.