Sudan is caught in the middle of a decade-long row between Ethiopia and Egypt over the dam Ethiopia is building on the River Nile and in recent months it has undergone a major shift in attitude, as Zeinab Mohammed Salih reports from Khartoum.
When discussing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd), Sudan’s rhetoric has moved from being broadly welcoming to being suspicious and belligerent.
This change, in large part, reflects the increasing influence of the military in the transitional government that is supposed to pave the way to a democratic system after the overthrow of long-serving leader Omar al-Bashir.
The diplomatic temperature has increased as Ethiopia’s rainy season approaches and the reservoir behind the dam will fill up for a second year without any agreement on how it should be done.
Both Ethiopia and Egypt have spoken about the project in existential terms.
Ethiopia says the Gerd is vital for its development as it could bring power to 60% of the population. Egypt says it threatens the flow of the Nile which sustains life there.
Sudan, which sits on the river between the two countries, has now taken to issuing dark warnings itself.
An advisor to the head of Sudan’s sovereign council, Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, spoke of a water war “that would be more horrible than one could imagine” unless the international community helped find a solution.
Source: Fiilafmonline/BBC
