UN Security Council to Discuss Crisis of GERD Today

The United Nations (UN) Security Council convenes today, Thursday, to consider developments of the unilateral decision of Ethiopia to start the second stage of filling the lake behind the Grand Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam (GERD) without consent of the downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan.

The council is going to discuss a motion submitted by Tunisia suggesting a consented solution through negotiating between the three concerned countries under the auspice of the African Union (AU).

Over the sitting of the council, Sameh Shoukry, and Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, Foreign Ministers of Egypt and Sudan are expected to attend the meeting along with officials from the two countries.

A UN senior official of the Political and Peace Building Affairs and the Executive Director of the UN Program for Environment will brief the council on the file of the Ethiopian dam.

The Arab Follow-up Committee supports the demands of Egypt and Sudan to enforce Ethiopia to stop the second filling of the controversial dam and not to behave unilaterally.

Tunisia has handed its motion over the five permanent and temporary members of the council.

The Tunisian motion urges Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia to resume negotiations under the auspice of the African Union and the United Nations.

It suggests drafting a binding resolution related to the Ethiopian dam within six months and not taking any measurement that jeopardizes the talks.

The motion also urges Ethiopia not to continue filling the dam unilaterally.

It is worth noting that Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, stated that his country will urge the council to adopt a resolution to persuade all parties of the dam crisis to reach a binding accord within six months.

The Egyptian minister told the Associated Press” news agency in New York on the sidelines of the UN Security Council meeting of the Renaissance Dam, that ten years of negotiations failed to reach a balanced accord with Ethiopia, warning that the second filing of the Ethiopian dam violates the 2015 treaty.