Wednesday June 24, 2020
FILE
Mogadishu (HOL) - The Somali government says it supports a peace agreement between the Nile, Egypt and South Sudan.
Somali Foreign Minister, Amb. Ahmed Isse Awad said he attended two Arab League talks on the conflict in Libya and the Nile River dispute.
Amb Awad says the Somali government supports a peaceful resolution to the Libyan conflict. The Foreign Minister did not say whether Somalia endorsed any parties to the conflict.
On the issue of the Nile, the Foreign Minister called on all parties to resolve the matter amicably.
"As we know the Nile is a lifeline for Egypt and Sudan, it is also a development for our Ethiopian friends, so we call on Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to ease tensions and resolve all issues."
The foreign minister's remarks come as Egypt called on the UN Security Council to "undertake its responsibilities" prevent Ethiopia from starting to fill new hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile next month without a deal in place.
Egypt also rallied the Arab League on Tuesday to pressure Ethiopia. All Arab League representatives approved the resolution except for Djibouti and Somalia.
Addis Ababa has announced plans to start a $ 4.6 billion dam next month, regardless of whether a deal has been reached.
Ethiopia is banking on the electricity generated by the new damn to power its rapidly growing economy. Egypt relies on the Nile for over 90$ of its water supply.
Both Egypt and Ethiopia have threatened military action to protect their interests, and the negotiations are at risk of collapsing.