Sudanese Foreign Minister Maryam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi said that her country deals with the second filling of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as a "national security" issue, and renewed its warning against the consequences of Addis Ababa's taking this step without an agreement with Khartoum and Cairo.
This came in a statement issued by Al-Mahdi today, Monday, after her meeting with the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, in the capital, Kinshasa, at the end of an African tour that began Thursday, which included Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, to explain her country's position in the dispute over the Renaissance Dam.
The minister affirmed her country's confidence in the DRC's leadership of the African Union in its current session, and "dealing seriously and responsibly with the Renaissance Dam file and sponsoring negotiations around it."
She said, "Sudan gives the issue of the second filling of the dam the utmost attention, as it is a national security issue that affects the lives of millions of Sudanese on the banks of the Blue Nile and the Main Nile."
She stressed the need to reach a comprehensive and binding legal agreement between the three countries.
Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia, regarding filling and operating the dam before next July.
The Sudanese statement said that President Tshisekedi expressed - during the meeting - his "understanding of Sudan's position and its clear demands," and promised to make efforts "to find a solution to the crisis, addressing the interests and concerns of all parties, and in a way that achieves security and stability in the region."
Ethiopia insists on commencing the second filling of the Renaissance Dam during the next rainy season in July and August, despite Egypt and Sudan refusing and requiring them to first reach a tripartite agreement to preserve their water installations and ensure the continued flow of their annual share of the Nile water, estimated at 55.5 billion. Cubic meters and 18.5 billion cubic meters respectively.
The rhetoric of mutual accusations and statements intensified in recent times, amid stalled negotiations.
Complaint to the Security Council
On Sunday, the Ethiopian media revealed that the Ethiopian Foreign Minister Damaki Mekonnen sent a letter to the UN Security Council last week accusing Egypt and Sudan of seeking to destabilize.
The letter stated that Cairo and Khartoum signed a bilateral military agreement that "bypasses the threat of war," and are trying to pressure Addis Ababa by disrupting negotiations to internationalize the Renaissance Dam file, according to Ethiopian media.
The complaint added that "the actions of Egypt and Sudan show their lack of respect for the principles of the African Union and the desire to destabilize."
Last March, the Chiefs of Staff of the Sudanese and Egyptian armies signed a military cooperation agreement covering the areas of training and border security, in parallel to political coordination at the highest levels on the issue of the Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, the main tributary of the Nile River.