Sudan is ready to sue Ethiopia’s government due to GERD threats: Irrigation Minister

CAIRO – 3 May 2021: Sudan's Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas said that Khartoum will bear great losses if Ethiopia insists on conducting the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam [GERD] without reaching an agreement.

He added that Sudan faces potential threats of not being able to operate the Roseires Dam.

Abbas affirmed that legal teams in Sudan are willing to sue the Ethiopian government over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam if they started the second filling unilaterally

The Sudanese Minister of Irrigation added, that several visits to African countries will be conducted during the coming period in order to explain Sudan's position on resolving the Renaissance Dam issue.

He affirmed that his country is still adhering to resolving the issue through negotiations to protect water security interests.

Earlier in April, Abbas said that “all options are open” in the Khartoum decision-making process per the international law, including resorting to the Security Council.

Abbas said in a press conference that his country will store a billion cubic meters of water behind Roseires Dam as a precautionary measure against the second filling of GERD, planned in the next rain season in June.

He added that this measure only may reduce the impact of the unilateral filling of the dam.

“The African Union stood by and watched the previous rounds of negotiations on the Renaissance Dam,” emphasizing that Khartoum did not reject the mediation of the African Union, but rather asked to enhance the mediation by other parties.

Rounds of negotiations among Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the Ethiopian dam (GERD) have reached a deadlock several times with Egypt blaming the failure on Ethiopia’s intransigence.

Egypt and Sudan insist that a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam should be reached before Ethiopia implements the second phase of dam filling.

Ethiopia, however, says it will complete the dam filling in July with or without an agreement.

Egypt on April 13 sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council, calling on the international community to engage in advancing the stalled GERD talks and persuade Ethiopia to refrain from unilateral acts.