Trump suggests Egyptmay‘ blowup’ Ethiopia dam

Ethiopia accuses US president of inciting ‘ war’ over Nile dam, summons America’s ambassador

Ethiopia yesterday accused Donald Trump of inciting “war” over a massive Nile River mega- dam after the US president spoke out against the project and suggested Egypt might destroy it.

Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew summoned US ambassador Michael Raynor to clarify Trump’s comments, which mark the US president’s latest foray into a delicate, long- running dispute between Ethiopia and downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan.

Gedu told Raynor that “the incitement of war between Ethiopia and Egypt by a sitting US president neither reflects the long- standing partnership and strategic alliance between Ethiopia and theUnited States, nor is acceptable in international law governing interstate relations,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Ethiopia was responding to comments about the dam, known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, made by Trump on Friday during a ceremony

marking a breakthrough normalisation deal between Israel and Sudan. “It’s a very dangerous situation because Egypt is not going to be able to live that way,” Trump told reporters in theOvalOffice.

“They’ll end up blowing up the dam. And I said it and I say

it loud and clear - they’ll blow up that dam. And they have to do something,” Trump said.

Also yesterday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office issued its ownstatement defending the dam and noting that Ethiopia was committed to African Unionled talks which it said had made “significant progress”.

Ethiopia’ s warning

“Nonetheless, occasional statements of belligerent threats to have Ethiopia succumb to unfair terms still abound. These threats and affronts to Ethiopian sovereignty are misguided, unproductive, and clear violations of international law,” the statement said.

“Ethiopia will not cave in to aggressions of any kind.”

A separate version of the statement issued in Amharic featured more muscular language. “There are two facts that theworldhas certified. Thefirst is that there has been no one who has lived in peace after provoking Ethiopia. The second is if Ethiopians stand united for one purpose, it’s inevitable they will triumph,” it said.—

AP Egypt depends on the Nile for about 97 per cent of its irrigation and drinking water, while Ethiopia sees the $ 4 billion dam as essential for its electrification and development. The US suspended a portion of its financial aid to Ethiopia after its attempt to broker a deal failed.