The Controversies over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
The Renaissance Dam issue is one of the controversial issues that the African Union seeks to solve by peaceful means in a way that guarantees the achievement of stability on the African continent.
The United States of America decided to impose economic sanctions on the Ethiopian government, due to the persistence of the stubborn Ethiopian position in the issue of the Renaissance Dam, after the negotiations that the United States sponsored between the parties to the conflict (Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan) faltered.
Turkey and Qatar are taking advantage of the existing dispute between the parties to the conflict (Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan) to approach the Ethiopian government and provide the support it needs in the Renaissance Dam project, with the aim of obstructing the negotiations sponsored by the African Union.
Qatar provided financial support to Ethiopia in the amount of $ 3 billion in support of the Renaissance Dam project, as it provided the first batch of $ 1.5 billion through the Ethiopian Ambassador to Qatar, “Mtasbia Tadesse”, and the second payment of $ 1.5 billion (during a secret visit by each of the President The Ethiopian Staff and Head of Military Intelligence to Qatar at the beginning of September 2020).
Qatar is intensifying its contacts with the Ethiopian leadership to confirm Qatar’s support for the Ethiopian position in the issue of the Renaissance Dam, as the Emir of Qatar, “Tamim”, during one of his calls with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abi Ahmed, explicitly asked to obstruct the negotiations in the issue of the Renaissance Dam by presenting difficult conditions.
On the same approach, Turkey supports Ethiopia’s position and pushes it to obstruct the ongoing negotiations to resolve differences with Egypt and Sudan, as Erdogan assured Ethiopia of his readiness to provide any support that Ethiopia needs in the dam issue, as well as Turkey’s support for Ethiopia with military equipment at a time when Ethiopia is witnessing Political instability in light of internal disputes in Ethiopia, as the Ethiopian elections approach.
The pressure exerted by Qatar and Turkey on Ethiopia to influence the ongoing negotiations on the issue of the Renaissance Dam resulted in the Ethiopian government not yielding to American pressure to push for a peaceful solution to the Renaissance Dam issue, in addition to the outbreak of disagreements between the Ethiopian leaders (due to opposition to Turkish and Qatari pressures on Ethiopia).
