Juba, South Sudan,
June 26, 2021 – At least five countries from the East African Region have signed a military pact backing Egypt as the north African country prepares for any eventuality against Ethiopia that has decided to unilaterally fills up its mega dam.
This comes as Egypt believes it has exhausted all channels of diplomacy to reach a consensus on the filling and operations of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
According to international media reports seen by Nyamilepedia, Egypt has signed a string of military and economic agreements with Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Djibouti and also South Sudan.
Egypt, the report says, already has substantial integration agreements with Sudan, where it recently conducted joint military exercises involving warplanes and special forces.
Ethiopia has been adamant to cooperate with downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, on the filling and operation of the GERD. Addis Ababa described a recent move by Cairo to table the matter before the Gulf leaders as “misguided”.
Earlier, Egypt submitted that the continuous filling and operation of the dam was contaminating drinking water stations of the downstream countries.
Addis Ababa, ranked among some most powerful military on the continent remained unmoved by any approach Egypt and Sudan have made so far to resolve the Nile River dispute.
The Nile River dispute between the three countries focuses on the controversial dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, the Nile River’s main tributary.
Egypt and Sudan want an international agreement to govern how much water Ethiopia releases downstream, especially in a multi-year drought, fearing their critical water shares might drop.
On May 31st this year, the Associated Press, quoting Sudan’s state-owned SUNA news agency, reported that Sudanese and Egyptian forces will hold the maneuvers dubbed “Guardians of the Nile” to the end of the month.
Read: Egypt, Sudan conclude war games amid Ethiopia’s dam dispute
This was aimed at “strengthening bilateral relations and unifying methods on dealing with threats that both countries are expected to face.”
The report did not say how many troops would participate. Apart from those that landed at Khartoum Air Base, another contingent of soldiers and army vehicles were expected to arrive by sea.
