Washington’s move followed the inability of Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan to agree on a unified document on the management of the contested initiative.
The United States has stopped part of its financial support to Ethiopia due to a lack of advancement in the negotiations with Egypt and Sudan on the building of the huge Addis Ababa Dam on the Blue Nile River.
Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt have been embroiled in a tense disagreement over the building and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which remains unresolved even after the reservoir behind the dam started to fill in July.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told the Associated Press News Agency on Tuesday that the decision to “temporarily delay” some assistance to a crucial regional security partner “reflects our worry about Ethiopia’s unilateral decision to start filling the dam until an agreement has been reached and all appropriate dam protection measures have been placed in place.”
Ethiopia finds the hydropower dam to be necessary for its electrification and growth, but downstream Egypt and Sudan see it as a significant threat to critical water resources.
It was not exactly evident how many millions of dollars in US assistance are being withheld, or for how long, but a congressional official told Reuters news agency: “Up to $100 m or so will be impacted, of which $26 m is funding that expires at the end of the [financial year].”
The US action came after the three nations failed to find an understanding of the operation of the dam on Friday after 10 days of talks.
The State Department reported that it had begun filling the reservoir before the essential protection precautions had been enforced “created significant risks to the inhabitants of the downstream countries,” according to the AFP News Agency.
It stated that, by attempting to fill the dam, Ethiopia has lost trust in the negotiations.
Fitsum Arega, the Ethiopian ambassador to Washington, said Tuesday that he had been notified of the cuts in US assistance.
“They told us the issue is a ‘temporary pause’,” Arega said on Facebook.
“The dam is ours. We will complete it through our efforts. Our Ethiopia will have a bright glow through our efforts,” he added.
Source: Aljazeera
