Ethiopian army commander says Egyptian fighter jets cannot destroy dam

CAIRO – A senior army commander of the Ethiopian armed forces is saying that Egyptian army’s fighter jets does not have the capacity to destroy the Grand Renaissance Ethiopian Dam (GERD), saying his country is ready for all scenarios including military if Cairo choose to go for war.

General Buta Bachata Debele, the Director of the Engineering Department at the Ethiopian Ministry of Defense, made the remarks during an interview with the Russian TV channel RT and said his country does not seek to solve the GERD dispute militarily but is ready for it.

The interview came after the general’s participation in the Ninth Moscow Conference on International Security.

“The best solution is discussion through the African Union,” General Debele said on the sideline of 9^th Moscow Conference on International Security.

“But the Egyptian side does not want to solve the problem through negotiations. They come to debate and reject all proposals. In my view, the best solution is negotiations, and they will not be able to solve the problem militarily,” he added.

He continued: “They will not try to attack the dam, but even if they attack it, they will not be able to solve the problem or destroy the dam, because it cannot be destroyed by fighter plane bombing, and they know that the dam is solid.”

“…when this stage ends, everything will be safe and everyone will come to discuss proposals for sharing water. Not building the dam, but how to divide the water, because 90% of the water goes to Egypt alone, and 10% to the Sudanese, while we have nothing left.”

In response to a question about whether his country is ready for a military solution, the Ethiopian general said: “Yes, every country is ready to defend the homeland, and we are ready to repel any enemy that tries to undermine our sovereignty. We are ready to defend.”