Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi on Tuesday called the United Nations Security Council to meet and discuss the ongoing dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) being built by Ethiopia on the Nile River, reported Yahoo News.
According to a statement released by the Sudanese government, Foreign Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi urged the Security Council to hold a session as soon as possible to discuss GERD and its impact on the safety and security of millions of people.
In a letter addressed to the UNSC head, the Sudanese minister called on him to urge Ethiopia to stop the unilateral filling of the controversial dam ‘which exacerbates the dispute and poses a threat to regional and international peace and security, the statement added.
Ethiopia is hopeful that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), once completed, will help in economic development and power generation. The two downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, on the other hand, are concerned about the dam’s effect and want a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.
Egypt, which relies on the Nile River for as much as 90% of its freshwater needs, sees the dam as an existential threat. The Sudanese government is concerned about the operation of the country’s own Nile dams and water station.
Earlier this month, Sudan and Egypt have agreed to work together on all levels to force Ethiopia to negotiate seriously on an agreement, after African Union-sponsored talks remained deadlocked. The two countries called on the international community to intervene.
Arab states also called on the UN Security Council to discuss the dispute and Ethiopia’s plans to go ahead with the second filling of the dam this summer even without an agreement with Sudan and Egypt.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, however, rejected the Arab League resolution in its entirety.
