Sudan Capable of Preventing Ethiopia's Dam Second Filling, Says FM

The Sudanese government asserted on Friday that it has the ability to force Ethiopia not to proceed with the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) without an agreement, and accused Ethiopia of seeking to "impose hegemony and subject other countries to kneeling."

In an interview with the BBC in Khartoum, Sudanese Foreign Minister Maryam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi said that the disputes over GERD could be resolved within hours if the political will is available.

Al-Mahdi clarified that Sudan's position is consistent with the need to reach a legal binding agreement, over the filling and operation of the dam, accusing Ethiopia of not wanting to do so, but rather seeking to "impose hegemony and bring other countries to its knees."

She pointed to the full coordination between Sudan and Egypt at the highest levels regarding the dam, stressing that coordination is carried out continuously and extensively to prevent Ethiopia from filling the dam reservoir without an agreement.

Al-Mahdi ruled out resorting to the military option if all available options were exhausted, indicating that Sudan will continue the political and legal escalation by resorting to the UN Security Council and international arbitration.

Earlier, Al-Mahdi described the Renaissance Dam as a "sword raised on the necks of the Sudanese," stressing that the main factor in the dam negotiations is the interest of Sudan first and foremost without bias to any party at the expense of the country's interest.