VP Taban, Ethiopian envoy discuss dam, bilateral relations

JUBA – South Sudan vice-president Taban Deng Gai on Monday met the Ethiopian ambassador to the country, Nebil Mahadi, and discussed several issues including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and bilateral relations.

During the meeting, Nebil said the Horn of Africa nation’s support to South Sudan is consistent, reiterating his country’s effort to ensuring the September 2018 revitalized peace agreement is fully implemented.

On the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the ambassador said it is a pan-African project intended for power generation, stressing that more than 65 million Ethiopians do not access electric power.

“Ethiopia is urging Egypt and Sudan to respect its sovereign right to use Nile water for current and future generations,” he stressed.

The ambassador further underscored that GERD has so many advantages for the downstream countries, citing the first filling which reportedly rescued Sudan from the effects of devastating flooding.

For his part, however, Deng said Ethiopia is a giant of the region and its peace is very vital to South Sudan and the whole region as well.

He said GERD is a project that will benefit Ethiopia and the region.

The Nile River is a resource of all the riparian states and it should be utilized among all the states, not harm one another, Deng explained.

The South Sudanese Vice President also stressed the importance of linking countries in the region through road infrastructure.

The GERD, formerly known as the Millennium Dam, is a gravity dam on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia under construction since 2011. The dam is in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia, about 45 km east of the border with Sudan.