Ethiopia has no intention of using GERD to harm Sudan, Egypt: PM

Addis Ababa, September 26, 2020 (FBC) –Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed said his country has no intention of harming Sudan and Egypt with the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

He made the remark while addressing the General Debate of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in a video statement yesterday.

“I want to make it abundantly clear that we have no intention to harm these countries,” he told the 193-member U.N. General Assembly.

“We are steadfast in our commitment to addressing the concerns of downstream countries and reaching a mutually beneficial outcome in the context of the on-going AU-led process,” he said.

The Prime Minister added that the project contributes to the conservation of water resources, “which would otherwise have been lost to evaporation in downstream countries.”

“What we are essentially doing is to meet our electricity demands from one of the cleanest sources of energy. We cannot afford to continue keeping more than 65 million of our people in the dark,” he said.

The Prime Minister also warned of various crises, including a locust outbreak, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, saying they threaten to “wipe out the livelihoods of millions of our people.”

“There is no stark reminder of the need for urgent action than the devastating impact of climate change that we are witnessing in various parts of the world,” he noted.

The Prime Minister further reaffirmed his commitment to the on-going reforms.

“Ethiopia remains committed to the path of the reforms we began two and half years ago. Albeit the resistance that comes with any attempts to shift the status quo in favor of social justice, we will pursue Ethiopia’s inevitable track for democratization,” he said.