Sudan Calls for Exchange of Information within Binding Agreement on Filling of Renaissance Dam

MIAWR Khartoum, April 10 (SUNA) – The Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources issued on Saturday a statement about Sudan receiving to a letter from Ethiopia calling on Sudan to nominate a delegate to exchange information on the second filling of the Renaissance Dam in next July. The ministry welcomed the step, affirming Sudan firm position that the information exchange process shall be within a legal and binding agreement for filling and operation, because information exchange is one of the processes that have been agreed upon within about 90% of the cases in which the three countries have reached agreement in the draft agreement since last June. The statement stated that Sudan believes that the exchange of information is a necessary procedure, but the Ethiopian offer to exchange information in the manner indicated by the letter implies suspicious about selectivity in dealing with what has been agreed upon, and an unacceptable tendency to take steps that only suit them, without regard to Sudan's demands and concerns and avoiding the serious endeavor for a comprehensive and a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam. According to the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, the offer to exchange information by a unilateral action from Ethiopia, at a time that suits it only, makes the exchange of information a mere gift from Ethiopia, which it provides or prevent whenever it wants, a matter that which could expose Sudan national interests to serious risks, besides the fact that the naming of delegates to exchange information, without signing an agreement, practically means reducing the negotiating ceiling from a comprehensive agreement to the exchanging of data only, a matter which is difficult for Sudan to accept.
The statement explained that Ethiopia has informed Sudan through a message from the Minister of Water that it will test the lower gates of the dam by releasing about one billion cubic meters of water within less than 48 hours after we received the notification on the evening of Thursday April 8, 2021, which is a short period to take preventive technical measures, a matter that confirms once again the importance of reaching a binding agreement before filling the dam, adding that such measures mean that part of the filling process will take place during the months of May and June, in contrast to the exchanged schedules that confirm the start of filling in next July, a matter which will put pressure on the Sudanese electricity generation system.
Through the statement the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources stressed Sudan affirmation that the presence of international organizations and the influential countries that participated as observers in the negotiations and their role as mediators or facilitators, as Sudan called in its recent initiative, can help greatly in converging views, building confidence between the three countries and providing an international guarantee for the implementation of the agreement and removes the concerns of all parties and helps to ensure regional and international security.