In the present climate, the boarder tension between Ethiopia and Sudan has been escalating time and again and turning out to be the talk of the global media. As the latter often times comes up with fabricated stories that breach the sovereignty of the former, any prospect of peaceful resolution is far from a reality.
The boarder tension between the two countries has rather been moving into uncharted territory and morphing into a region-wide conflict. Needless to say, the intensification of the situation of the two nations however has to do with Sudan’s hawkishness and bloopers coxswained by persons from the military wings and other groups that strive for reimbursements from the boarder dispute.
Notwithstanding the fact that Ethiopia does its utmost to get to the bottom of the border dispute through dialogue, the sought after goal have not been attained yet. Even worse, nowadays in an act of wild absurdity, Sudan has been claiming the territory where the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is being built belongs to her and thus it is escalating the tension between the two nations more than ever before.
Describing Sudan’s absurd claim as unwarranted, provocative and increasingly bellicose propaganda campaign, Ethiopia said the reference in the Sudanese statement to the BenishangulGumuz Region of Ethiopia is indeed utterly ridiculous. It is common knowledge that Ethiopia’s historic territories in the west would have been extended beyond what is now Ethiopia`s boundary if it was not for the existing boundary agreements, said a statement issued yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The attempt by the Government of the Sudan to mix the boundary treaties with the unjust, exclusive and colonial-based bilateral “agreements” on the utilization of the waters of the Nile is regrettable, added the statement.
As far as Ethiopia is concerned, it has repeatedly expressed its position regarding those colonial-based agreements, whose sole aim was and still is to deny the rights of upper riparian states, including Ethiopia, to use the waters of the Nile. Ethiopia, therefore categorically rejects any and all attempts to preserve a self-appropriated water quota among the downstream countries. The insistence of downstream countries to monopolize the waters of the Nile and politicization of technical issues are the main challenges that the trilateral negotiations have faced.
Ethiopia has for long refrained from reacting to the numerous fabricated stories appearing in the press statements of Sudanese institutions and remarks by government officials taking into account the historic and fraternal relations between the brotherly peoples of Ethiopia and the Sudan. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia with a view of putting the record straight would like to make the following points very clear to the brotherly people of the Sudan and the international community at large.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sudan in its press statement issued on 1st May 2021, has once again attempted to mislead the people of the Sudan and the international community on issues related to the Ethiopia-Sudan boundary and the trilateral negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Ethiopia, as an old independent and sovereign country, has time tested reputation in respecting international treaties and obligations it has signed.
The unfounded statement of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry only aims at covering up the continuing aggression committed by the Sudan since 6 November 2020, in violation of international principles, bilateral agreements and established joint boundary mechanisms. The unprecedented hostile military actions by the Sudan, the current Chair of our regional organization, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), has resulted in the looting and burning of properties, killing of civilians as well as, the displacement of thousands of Ethiopians.
Ethiopia strongly believes that all the recent actions and vitriolic propaganda campaigns of the Government of the Sudan against Ethiopia do not reflect the wishes and aspirations of the peace-loving people of the Sudan. Ethiopia has been consistently calling the Government of the Sudan to reverse its aggression and resolve the boundary issue in accordance with bilateral agreements and joint boundary mechanisms to finalize the re-demarcation process, stated the statement.
Ethiopia calls for the peaceful resolution of the boundary issues with the Sudan based on the existing joint boundary mechanisms and finalizing the trilateral negotiations on the GERD in accordance with the Declaration of Principles (DoP) of 2015. In fact, it is not clear, to whose interest that the current authorities in the Sudan have suddenly changed their position, although they had repeatedly pointed out that the GERD has enormous benefits to the Sudan.
Ethiopia highly values the historical and brotherly relations that exist between the two countries and thus still committed to address all related issues through dialogue and negotiations. It once again calls upon the Government of the Sudan to desist from an unhelpful campaign and commit itself to dialogue and peaceful resolution. In this connection, Ethiopia looks forward to the engagement of the international community in encouraging the Sudan towards a peaceful resolution of the dispute, the statement concluded.
Briefing Asian Ambassadors in Ethiopia this past week, Amb. Redwan Hussien, State Minister of Foreign Affairs underscoring the belligerent attitude of Sudan that threatened to reverse all the positive achievements achieved following the signing of the 1972 Exchange of notes between the two countries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the 1972 Exchange of Notes, the two countries have agreed not to employ force to solve border dispute, displace settled people that disrupts the status quo. The Ambassador said the recent invasion of Ethiopian lands by Sudanese troops is a continuation of the attempts made by Sudan whenever it sensed a problem is going on in Ethiopia. They did it when the imperial government was toppled in 1974 and the Derg, the Communist government was ousted by EPRDF forces in 1994 although they were successfully repulsed by the then Ethiopian forces, he said.
Ethiopia, under the new political administration, gives priority to peace, and peaceful coexistence with its neighbors and does not wish to waste the opportunity for cooperation through engaging in border conflicts, he said. He said the two countries should employ existing conflict resolution mechanisms to get a resolve to the dispute and urged the international community to tell Sudan to evacuate its troops from occupied Ethiopian territories.
Highlighting current development on GERD dispute, Amb. Redwan also walked the diplomats through the major reasons that stalled the talks which are attributable to the irrational claims of Egypt and the self-defeating moves of Sudan.
He said the international community should understand that all of the concerns of Sudan have been adequately addressed while Egypt has continued to project its irrational claims of protecting the colonial-era treaties by window-dressing the claim through various names and demands. In this regard, he said Ethiopia hopes the AU-led process will lead to a win-win solution that takes into account the country’s refusal to sign an agreement that forecloses the rights of its future generations for development.
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
The Ethiopian Herald May 5/2013
