The Sudanese water resources and irrigation expert, Haider Youssef, said that the Ethiopian National Security Council’s announcement that Addis Ababa will carry out the second mobilization of the Renaissance Dam on time constitutes a real political shift in the issue of the Renaissance Dam.

Youssef added during his participation in the "Evening" program on the Al-Jazeera Mubasher screen, "Ethiopia, with its position, has transferred the file of the Renaissance Dam from the hands of technicians and transferred the issue to the largest political authority in the country, which is the Ethiopian National Security Council."

"With this position, Ethiopia has entered the stage of control and control and has established itself as the sole reporter for all the issues related to the Renaissance Dam," Youssef added.

Youssef ruled out that Egypt or Sudan would have a hand in what is taking place inside the Ethiopian interior, stressing that Addis Ababa is making a number of pretexts to justify its position on the dam at the internal level.

American role

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan urged the leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to cooperate to resolve their disputes over the Renaissance Dam, while Addis Ababa confirmed that it adheres to the second mobilization of the dam despite the pressures.

In a statement, Sullivan affirmed his country's readiness to work with its allies and partners to promote common peace and prosperity throughout the Horn of Africa.

He said, "The work of the US special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, will depend on the ongoing US efforts to address urgent crises."

The US Secretary of State announced the appointment of former diplomat Jeffrey Feltman as US envoy for the Horn of Africa.

A US State Department statement quoted Blinken’s concern about the renewed conflict in the Ethiopian Tigray region, in addition to the escalation of tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan and the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

On Saturday, Ethiopia accused internal and external forces of working to threaten the country's stability, stressing that pressure will not prevent the filling of the Renaissance Dam and holding the elections.

A statement by the Ethiopian National Security Council, issued by the Cabinet, said that "internal and external forces that he did not name are working to plunge the country into conflict and chaos."

In a meeting chaired by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the council stressed that "despite the plots and pressures that are being exerted on us, we will carry out the process of the second filling of the Renaissance Dam on the scheduled date and holding the elections."

He added that these plans that aim to destroy the country by supporting anti-peace groups, although they will introduce us to a great challenge, will not prevail over Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian writer and political analyst Mohamed Al-Arousi said that there are strong political campaigns exerting pressure on Addis Ababa to "undermine the Ethiopian national security."

Al-Arousi added, "The data available so far confirm that there is a political and military escalation by individuals seeking to deprive Ethiopia of its rights by interfering with our internal issues."

He continued, "We are witnessing a proxy war, through harnessing individuals inside Ethiopia to inflame the internal situation."

Regarding foreign mediation, El-Arousi said, "Ethiopia has not rejected the American mediation, but it refuses to directly interfere in political issues of Ethiopia."

Al-Arousi added, "We support finding a consensual solution to the Renaissance Dam, but Ethiopia will not submit to external pressures, highlighting in the same context that the issue of the dam is a consensual national issue that concerns the Ethiopian people of all sects."

Writer and journalist in the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, Asma Al-Husseini, said that the Ethiopian Security Council’s position clarifies that “Ethiopia is no longer concerned with the regional interests of the Blue Nile countries.

Today, it sent a set of clear and frank messages.

Al-Husseini added, "What the Ethiopian Security Council did under the leadership of Abi Ahmed represents an open challenge to downstream countries and unilateral measures that reject all regional and international calls."

Al-Husseini confirmed that there is an American and European tendency to play a greater role in the Renaissance Dam issue.

She said that the appointment of Geoffrey Weltman as the US delegate to the Horn of Africa, an expert on Arab and African issues, reveals the real desire of the new US government, led by President Joe Biden, to play a "more active role."

"Ethiopia, under US President Donald Trump, failed previous negotiations in Washington, but the new US government has a different position."