Juba, South Sudan
July 25, 2022 —- South Sudan’s former Minister of Petroleum Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth has cautioned President Salva Kiir against being pushed into ending friendship with the whole region, especially Ethiopia, because of ‘one’ Egypt.
According to Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth Egypt does not share common border with South Sudan and their interest in the Nile water is unbecoming saying a good neighbor like Ethiopia cannot be trashed because of Egypt.
Gatkuoth made this remarks at function organized by group of people at a Hotel in Juba.
According to the former ambassador, who boasts about his “diplomatic skills”, the Egyptian government is the one paying experts who were conducting the recently closed public consultation and awareness on Nile water management and that needs to be questioned.
“As a diplomat, I know diplomacy is about you promoting your interests regionally and also on the world [stage]. I have been doing diplomacy.”he lamented.
“Why Egypt is the one paying? They are the one paying experts and they are the one bringing machines and they have interest in the Nile,” Gatkuoth claimed.
The former senior government official further claimed that dredging will amount into a diplomatic standoff with regional countries such as Ethiopia and could possibly bring conflict between Sudan and South Sudan.
To Mr. Gatkuoth, all those grudges and conflicts can be avoided if South Sudan ends ties with Egypt.
“And whey Egypt is building dam (Aswan High Dam) blocking water from going into Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, Why? Let them open it and let the water go to Red Sea and then go to America, would they accept this? No, it doesn’t need science,” he said.
“What about the countries along the Nile River, have you consulted them? No, that will create a diplomatic row between you and the rest of the region and the whole world. And the region, it doesn’t need science. Will you afford to lose Ethiopia and the whole region for one person,” Gatkuoth added referring to Egypt.
The issue of dredging has become a contentious debate in South Sudan although it was officially approved by the cabinet.
So far, president Kiir and mama Rebecca have thrown in the towels and hope that a feasibility study will be carried out to inform the next course of action.
