Former Egyptian Minister to Sudanhorizon: Recent Earthquakes Have no Effect

Cairo – Sudanhorizon– Sabah Mousa
Dr Mohamed Nasr Eldin Allam, Egypt’s former Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, has stated that the recent spate of earthquakes in Ethiopia has had a minimal and distant impact on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which is situated near the border with Sudan.
In an exclusive statement to Sudanhorizon, Dr Allam acknowledged that while there have been concerning natural phenomena in Ethiopia recently, they are unlikely to affect the GERD. He noted, however, that these earthquakes could potentially impact other Ethiopian dams, such as the over 200-meter-tall Gilgel Gibe III Dam on the Omo River between Ethiopia and Kenya.
Dr. Allam criticized the sensationalism on social media platforms that suggested these earthquakes were divine retribution against Ethiopia for its intransigence over the GERD. He dismissed such notions, emphasizing that Egypt did not wish harm upon the Ethiopian people. He underscored the importance of Egypt, as a sovereign state, actively working to reach an agreement with Addis Ababa on the rules for filling and operating the GERD to ensure the safety of Egypt and Sudan.
“We should not rely on divine solutions,” he remarked, adding that Egypt has numerous strategies—well-known to its people—to assert its position on the filling and operation rules.
Dr. Allam expressed confidence in Egypt’s ability to achieve its objectives regarding the GERD to prevent harm to both itself and Sudan, without the need for the dam to collapse. He affirmed that Egypt could protect its water interests, even if diplomatic and negotiation efforts fail.