GERD 2nd Water Impounding Leads to Diplomatic Breakthrough for Ethiopia

July 20, 2021

BY YOHANES JEMANEH

ADDIS ABABA – The successful second water impounding of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) would lead to major diplomatic breakthroughs for the stalled GERD talks among Ethiopia , Egypt and Sudan and a golden opportunity to alter the aged-long false narration of the downstream countries about the Nile river ,so remarked scholars.

The scholars also urged Ethiopia to come up with some kind of more proactive diplomacy and media campaign on GERD to ease some global powers’ pressures over the issue

Ethiopia needs to tell repeatedly its own story about the GERD in a bid to show the other side of the story of the project to the world, International Law Researcher Tadesse Kassa (PhD) said.

He told local media that the country’s diplomacy on GERD has to be revised to form clear communication approach that is capable of releasing actual and permanent information about GERD.

Egypt and Sudan have been proactive in making use the mainstream and social media to influence the world despite their unjust claims, Tadesse stated.

Therefore, Ethiopia should vastly use media to express the truth about GERD , he suggested.

It is better to invite local and international  media professionals to visit the project on site and organizing frequent press briefings to update the international community on GERD, said Media Practitioner and Political Analyst Umer Redi.

Almost all Ethiopians in the country have better understanding about the project since the media has been widely reporting on that, Umer noted.

However, the media have to focus on reaching out the international community with factual information to enable them to have fair position on the issue, he added.

According to Umer, the government, Diaspora community an Ethiopians working for international organizations on hydrology, and international law practitioners have to contribute their fair share to the achievement of the dam either in technical support or involving through negotiations in backing country’s position with evidential reasoning.

“We have to work from now on to prevent any accusation on power generation, construction and third phase filling processes.”

Various trials indicated that Egypt, Sudan and their advocators will plot further conspiracy to hinder Ethiopia from achieving the grand dam, as to Umer.

Therefore, country must strengthen its position and watchfully notice invited observers in the negotiation process, according to Tadesse.

“We have to strengthen our stance that rely on undertaking the negotiation under the auspices of African union,” he said.

There must be a clear terms of reference if mediators are going to involve in the negotiation process, he noted.

The Ethiopian Herald July 20/ 2021