Somalia has urged the leaders of Ethiopia and Egypt to resume talks over the Nile Dam dispute.
Speaking to the media, Villa Somalia spokesperson, Abdikarin Ali Kaar has dismissed reports that Somalia sided with Egypt over Ethiopia, saying his country still maintains its neutrality.
“As you know the Nile River doesn’t pass through Somalia and the country’s position is neutral and we call the countries to hold talks over the issue,” Ali Kaar said.
The remarks of the spokesperson come days after Egyptian website claimed that Somali President Hassan and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi discussed controversy surrounding Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (Gerd) on the Blue Nile.
According to the website, President Mohamud opposed unilateral decisions on the use of the Nile waters.
Somalia is not in the Nile Basin
The Ethiopian-funded hydroelectric power project on the Blue Nile is expected to generate about 6400MW when complete and fully functional.
But its erection on the Nile, in the Benshagul-Gumuz region in Ethiopia, near the border with Sudan, has raised controversy. Egypt, which relies almost entirely on the Nile for freshwater, argues that the dam could hurt its water supply, a similar position taken by Sudan. Jointly, the two countries demand a binding agreement on dam operations.
Addis Ababa, on its part, argues the project is a sovereign right but says it would, in fact, save Sudan and Egypt from uncontrolled flooding.
The Nile River and its tributaries run through or along the border of 10 countries, namely, Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
