They (the Egyptians) will eventually blow up the dam. I say it loud and clear: they will blow up this dam. They have to do something ”. The military option is therefore put on the table by Trump, even though Marshal al-Sisi had ruled it out in September, when Ethiopia carried out the first phase of filling the dam. Cairo fears for the survival of its economy if the flow of the Nile were to decrease.
What to react Addis Ababa. “ The incitement to war between Ethiopia and Egypt by a sitting US president neither reflects the long-term partnership and strategic alliance between Ethiopia and the United States, nor is it acceptable to the with regard to international laws relating to relations between states, ”Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew said in a statement on Saturday after his meeting with the American ambassador, to whom he asked to clarify the words of Donald Trump.
Negotiations between Ethiopia and Egypt have stalled and tensions are high. The Ethiopian army has closed the airspace in the province of Benishangul-Gumuz. A preventive measure to ward off any external attack on the barrage of rebirth.
Trump’s ‘ arrogance ‘ and ignorance
Faced with Trump’s remarks, the former Ethiopian leader Haile Mariam Dessalegn was the first to react, regretting the ignorance and arrogance of the American leader.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gave him a statement assuring that Ethiopia is working for a ” peaceful settlement ” of the issue ” but that threats against its sovereignty are a violation of international law “.
The country, yet in the grip of an internal crisis, rallied behind the roadblock. Since October 24, the hashtag #Itsmydam has been flooding Ethiopian social networks, literally meaning “ This is my dam ”.
src: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54531747, https://www.rfi.fr/en/wires/20201023-trump-suggests-egypt-may-blow-ethiopia-dam
