South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Sunday said Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had promised him to resume negotiations with Egypt and Sudan on the controversial Nile dam after the formation of a new government but failed to commit to his words due to the ongoing war in Tigray, reported Egypt Today.
“In August, I went to Ethiopia on a one-day visit and I was promised that by October there will be negotiations after the formation of the government of Ethiopia. So, when I went there recently, there was nothing,” Kiir said during a press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
The South Sudanese President said Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had promised him that he would start negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) this month, but it did not happen because of the war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
Kiir added that the Ethiopian prime minister cannot begin negotiations now because the opposition is against him. He said he told Abiy that Egypt could not be at peace in absence of a legally binding agreement on GERD.
The South Sudanese president also said that Ethiopia has reportedly refused to talk about GERD with any country, especially Egypt.
The Egyptian president said there have been ongoing consultations with South Sudan on GERD to reach a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam. He said reaching a legally binding agreement on the GERD will boost stability in the region for all and will open new ways of cooperation between the Nile basin’s countries.
Kiir said Sudan is facing troubles and only Egypt and South Sudan have come forward for help. The two countries are constantly in consultations over Sudan and supporting Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, to ensure that the country does not go back to war with the opposition groups.
