Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed Responds to Trump's Comments on GERD

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed responded, on Saturday, to the US President Donald Trump's statements that  Addis Ababa violated an agreement to resolve the dispute over The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

"The GERD is Ethiopian, and the Ethiopians will inevitably finish its construction, and there is no force that could prevent us from achieving our planned goals," Abiy Ahmed said in a statement. "No one had colonized us before, and no one will rule us in the future."

"No one can harm Ethiopia, Ethiopians will prevail," he added.

"There are friends who allied with us to make this history, other friends betrayed us during our history-making process, and this is not something new," he continued.

Trump and the Sudanese Prime Minister, Abdullah Hamdok, Saturday, called for a peaceful solution to the dispute over the Renaissance Dam between Sudan and Egypt on one hand and Ethiopia on the other hand, sending an unprecedented warning to Addis Ababa.

Trump, who made these statements to reporters at the White House, added that he also told Egypt the same thing, adding that "the situation is dangerous," and that Cairo might end up "blowing up that dam."

He explained that he had brokered an agreement to solve the issue, but "Ethiopia violated the agreement," which led him to cut off US funding to them.

"I reached an agreement with them, and then, unfortunately, Ethiopia violated the agreement, and they shouldn't have done that. It was a big mistake," Trump said. "They will never see that money unless they abide by the agreement. Egypt cannot be blamed for feeling some discontent."

Trump urged Hamdok to persuade Ethiopia to accept the deal to settle the dispute.

Egypt and Sudan are striving to reach a legally binding agreement that guarantees adequate flows of water and a legal mechanism for resolving disputes before the dam starts operating, however, in August, Ethiopia celebrated the first phase of filling the dam and insists on completion without an agreement.

Egypt adheres to its historical rights in the waters of the Nile River, and international decisions and laws in this regard, and rejects any unilateral measures that Addis Ababa proceeds with, and demands Ethiopia to adhere to the principles of international law.