(Borkena) Just about a week away from election, presidential hopeful who is said to be a front runner in Egyptian Election – Abdel Fattah El-Sisi seem to send a mixed message about the mega hydro electric power project in Ethiopia.
According to a report published by Ahramonline, El-sisi is interested to continue “negotiation.” Yet, he also seem to barbour a commanding position that “the negative effects of the dam must be communicated with clarity to the Ethiopian government” which seem to suggest that he is already convinced that the dam has “negative effects” and any possible further negotiation is likely to be, as far as Egypt is concerned, dominated by Egyptian agenda of “negative effects” of the dam under construction.
Whether there is an understanding among Egyptian politicians that Egypt can not have an exclusive right over the river is questionable. What would Egypt do if some negative effect is entailed while riparian countries pursue the principle of equitable share of the water? whether the notion of “Negative effect”, if any, is to be discussed within the framework of equitable share of the water remains to be seen.
It is to be recalled that three Egyptian spies were captured last week while trying to sneak to Ethiopia from South Sudan through South Western part of Ethiopia. The spies were allegedly in a mission related to the construction of the Dam.
Will Egypt resort to actively exploiting radical dissidents from Ethiopia as a means to destabilize Ethiopia in post election period is a question in itself.
Egypt’s stance on the construction of the dam is deplorable,
it has reached the point that aside from threats their are reports of aid money being diverted to fund terrorists with the aim of destabalising the country as a way of halting the dam’s progress.
That in and of itself will not succeed, however the effect it clearly will have is to heighten suspicion within Ethiopia against all opposition, what ever the causes maybe about, inviting crack down from the state which may well feel beleaguered.
This itself in the long term can be more damaging than any amount of terrorist action.
For the good of Ethiopia let both opposer and opposed keep their heads and refrain from rashness.