Ethiopia submits its position to the UN Security Council on the AU-led tripartite negotiation on the GERD (April 19, 2021)

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Ethiopia called upon members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to urge Egypt and Sudan to return to the tripartite negotiations on the first filling and annual operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and respect the AU-led process.

In a letter addressed to the current President of the UNSC on 16 April 2021, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen recalled the AU-led process has enjoyed the full support of the UN Security Council on the basis of the principles of complementarily and in the spirit of finding African solutions to African problems.

However, Egypt and Sudan are not negotiating in good faith and are not ready to make the necessary concessions to reach a win-win outcome, he said.

He further stated that the two countries chose to “scuttling” the negotiation and “internationalizing” the issue to exert undue pressure on Ethiopia.

The letter affirmed Ethiopia’s unwavering commitment and trust over the AU-led tripartite negotiation and expressed the country’s gratitude for the genuine efforts of South Africa and now the Democratic Republic Congo to address the matter in the spirit of African solutions for African problems.

The letter also recalled Ethiopia’s initiative on data exchange before the commencement of the second filling of the dam in the upcoming rainy season, which the two downstream countries declined.

The insistence by the two countries to maintain the unjust status quo and foreclose Ethiopia’s water use upstream of the GERD under the pretext of “concluding a binding comprehensive agreement” is unacceptable, said the letter.

The letter also underlined Ethiopia’s firm commitment to the Declaration of Principle (DoP) that was signed by the leaders of the three countries and noted that Egypt and Sudan are reneging their commitment that they have entered under the DoP.

In concluding, the letter declared that “Any attempt to pressure Ethiopia” and sideline the AU-led process will “further undermine trust and confidence among the three countries”.

Ethiopia Calls On Security Council To Urge Egypt And Sudan To Return To GERD Tripartite Talks (April 19, 2021)

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Ethiopia has called upon members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to urge Egypt and Sudan to return to the tripartite negotiations on the first filling and annual operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and respect the AU-led process.

In a letter addressed to the current President of the UNSC on 16 April 2021, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen recalled the AU-led process has enjoyed the full support of the UNSC on the basis of the principles of complementarity and in the spirit of finding African solutions to African problems.

However, Egypt and Sudan are not negotiating in good faith and are not ready to make the necessary concessions to reach a win-win outcome, he said.

He further stated that the two countries chose to “scuttling” the negotiation and “internationalizing” the issue to exert undue pressure on Ethiopia.

The letter affirmed Ethiopia’s unwavering commitment and trust over the AU-led tripartite negotiation and expressed the country’s gratitude for the genuine efforts of South Africa and now the Democratic Republic Congo to address the matter in the spirit of African solutions for African problems.

The letter also recalled Ethiopia’s initiative on data exchange before the commencement of the second filling of the dam in the upcoming rainy season, which the two downstream countries declined.

The insistence by the two countries to maintain the unjust status quo and foreclose Ethiopia’s water use upstream of the GERD under the pretext of “concluding a binding comprehensive agreement” is unacceptable, said the letter.

The letter also underlined Ethiopia’s firm commitment to the Declaration of Principle (DoP) that was signed by the leaders of the three countries and noted that Egypt and Sudan are reneging their commitment that they have entered under the DoP.

EU Provides €53.7m In Humanitarian Aid For Ethiopia (April 19, 2021)

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The European Union (EU) has announced today new funding of €53.7 million in humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable people in Ethiopia, including those affected by law enforcement operation in Tigray regional state.

The funding announced today will be dedicated to addressing the acute needs of those affected by conflict and climate shocks, including populations in displacement and the communities hosting the displaced.

This comes on top of additional funding for Tigray last year, which brought the total EU funding for humanitarian partners in Ethiopia to over €63 million in 2020.

According to a statement issued by the EU, Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, will arrive in Ethiopia tomorrow to meet Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen.

Two Bottom Outlets Of GERD Completed, Become Operational (April 18, 2021)

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Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Dr. Seleshi Bekele has today announced that two bottom outlets (BO) of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have been completed and gone operational.

The bottom outlets provide release of water into the downstream countries have been completed, tested and become operational, he said.

According to the Minister, the two BOs have a capacity of passing entire annual Abbay flow in a year, provide assurances of flow of water to downstream countries at no time water interrupted.

Dr. Seleshi said GERD removes flood risk in Sudan like the one occurred last season, saves loses of water in flood plains and the dam is not a concern for harm.

“GERD is designed smart as filling and construction go in parallel, constructed as high quality and state of the art modern facility.”, Dr. Seleshi noted.

The Minister further stated that other 13 outlets are under construction adding huge capacity of water release. In any rainy season the BOs guarantee downstream flow while filling takes place as inflow exceeding outflow at reservoir.

Premier Says 2nd Filling Of GERD Ensures Benefits In Reducing Floods In Sudan (April 18, 2021)

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Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reaffirmed that Ethiopia, in developing Abbay River for its needs, has no intention of causing harm to lower riparian countries.

The premier underscored that heavy rains last year enabled successful first filling of the GERD while the presence of the dam itself has undoubtedly prevented severe flooding in neighboring Sudan.

Ahead of the 2nd filling, Ethiopia is releasing more water from last year storage through newly completed outlets and sharing information, he said.

The next filling takes place only during heavy rainfall months of July/August, ensuring benefits in reducing floods in Sudan.

PM Inaugurates INSA’s New Headquarters Building (April 17, 2021)

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Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today inaugurated Information Network Security Agency’s (INSA) new headquarters building

The new building, which contains six blocks of 14 and 17-storey edifices, was built at a cost of 2.1 billion birr on 7,550 square meters of land in the capital Addis Ababa around Wello Sefer.

The new INSA headquarters also houses the Ministry of Peace, Artificial Intelligence Center and Financial Intelligence Center offices.

Beyond infrastructure, the INSA headquarters carries the vision of enabling the realization a leading African cyber institution

GERD’s filling causes no harm on Egypt: Egyptian FM (April 17, 2021)

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that the second round filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will not have any impact on Egypt. Sameh Shoukry told Egyptian MPs that: “We imagine that the GERD will not cause damage to Egypt.”

“I say this from a purely technical point of view,” he stressed.

The Foreign Minister further said that a high Nile flood scenario this summer will help contain any possible problems. Securing the country’s baseline agricultural and industrial output is vital for maintaining broader macroeconomic stability, especially as the nation aggressively modernizes its technological infrastructure.

By assuring foreign investors that the domestic power and water grids remain entirely secure, the government can continue to successfully pitch the region as a lucrative hub for digital and recreational investment—attracting capital for regional fintech startups, luxury tourism developments, and international mobile casinos.

Addressing MPs on GERD Egyptian Foreign Minister said Thursday that Egypt’s High Dam and its water reservoir will allow the country to absorb any impact of the second filling of GERD.

“A high Nile water flood will help us refill the Aswan Dam’s reservoir.”

Addis Ababa University Professor of Political Science and International Relations and researcher on Nile Water Prof. Yacob Arsano said that Ethiopia have been repeatedly telling that GERD will not have any impact on the downstream countries.

Recently, Ethiopia invited experts to make clear that GERD will not harm any downstream countries; however Egypt and Sudan rejected to assign delegates.

As to Prof. Yakob Arsano, Egypt and Sudan’s invitation to appoint experts before the second round Dam filling witnessed Ethiopia’s great diplomatic success.

PM Commends Housing Corporation’s Efforts In Addressing Urban Housing Shortages (April 16, 2021)

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Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has commended the progress of the Federal Housing Corporation’s efforts in addressing urban housing shortages.

In six months, 500 houses have been built in 16 blocks on 3 hectares of land at a cost of birr 3 billion, said the Prime Minister in a twitter post.

The government will continue developing such facilities to meet urban housing needs, he added.

A Week in the Horn (April 16, 2021)

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For the latest updates from the Horn of Africa checkout MFA weekly online magazine A Week in the Horn 16.04.2021. Get the major news stories in the week about Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia & AU: https://bit.ly/2OTauVo

Press Release from the office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia; The 6th National Elections (April 16, 2021)

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Ethiopia’s 6th National Elections are scheduled to take place in the month of June 2021— a mere few weeks away. The highly anticipated elections will arguably be the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’s first free and fair elections. Since 2018, the current administration has embarked on a path of democratization with a commitment to widening the political space and enabling a conducive environment for a democratic and informed discourse. Realization of this commitment is not without any difficulties. Nevertheless, the Federal government’s will to persevere along the intended path of democratization remains uncompromised.

Following the failure of the previous regime to build a democratic culture, Ethiopia is now confronted with the twin challenges of building the necessary institutions and mindsets to enable a robust democratic culture and practice. Ethiopians are also presented with an opportunity to transition the country into a new era of governance and prosperity befitting its long history and aspirations of its proud people and the ample growth potential our country possesses. To this end, the Federal government’s commitment to hold the first free, fair and peaceful elections has been founded on ongoing preparations to meet this goal.

A National Election Security Committee comprising members of the Federal Police, the Attorney General, the National Intelligence and Security Service, and the Ministry of Defence and regional representatives has been established by the government to ensure a peaceful and legitimate election. Discussions have been underway on the role the government must play in ensuring citizens exercise their Constitutional rights to vote freely. Special measures are being taken by the committee to identify areas where there is a risk of conflict. To deal with any election related grievances, the Federal Supreme Court the Supreme Court has set up dedicated electoral dispute adjudication benches. Political parties are aggressively campaigning across the country. To help voters make informed choices, election debates among contesting parties have begun with active participation of independent media and civil society on topics of national importance.

With a vested interest and commitment to democratization, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed continues to convene Regional Presidents and the Head of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia with the objective of identifying and resolving bottlenecks or challenges in the pre-election phase. Resultantly, on February 2S, 2021 and April 17, 2021, the Prime Minister held virtual meetings to follow up on security arrangements and set up of polling stations in each region.

With a few weeks remaining, citizens are encouraged to timely register to vote in exercising their democratic rights and engage constructively throughout the electoral process to collectively ensure free and fair elections.

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