
Radar | Dec 17,2022
Feb 15 , 2020
There has hardly been any issue that has galvanized Ethiopians - despite their many differences and sources of polarisation - as much as the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) does. For many, the Dam is not a mere public project. It is a symbol of pride; and, a monument under construction invoking hope in a country that has gone through collective despair in the centuries.
It is an icon for many that shows to the world that Ethiopians can muster unity in the face of historical and formidable adversity. It is a living statue to demonstrate their resolve to lift themselves off of the image of their country as a poster child of poverty and misery, a collective shame and shared pain that is too much to bear.
It is upon the shoulders of Ethiopia's current leaders to ensure that the epic political and diplomatic battles to see through the Dam's completion and operation are not to be lost. Close to 11 of them were in Washington, D.C. last week, inching closer to sign a series of agreements with their Egyptian and Sudanese counterparts. Despite the pressure from the Americans and senior officials of the World Bank, the agreements were not signed as had been hoped.
A widely held public mistrust on the part of Ethiopia could be attributed to why its negotiators did not dare to ink the documents with their signature, says gossip. Nonetheless, sharp differences have emerged among members of the negotiating team that is also a major factor that held back the ministers from going ahead with finishing the deal, gossip disclosed.
The squabbling within the negotiating team comes primarily from lack of clarity on who is in charge in providing leadership, claims gossip. Dealing with Egypt and Sudan over the GERD or the broader issue of sharing the Nile waters involves political, economic and security affairs. However, there is a growing feeling that it is essentially a diplomatic battle waged against the interests of other countries, thus it falls within the domain of the foreign service, under the stewardship of Gedu Andargachew, minister of Foreign Affairs, claims gossip.
The soft-spoken Gedu is known to be a keen listener, says gossip. His limitation though is that he is not articulate in languages other than his native Amharic and is new to the job that requires communication with and outspokenness to foreign powers, gossip claims. He is not the lead man on the GERD talks, gossip claims.
The Minister of Water, Irrigation & Energy, Seleshi Bekele (PhD), has a mastery of the subject matter; after all, he is a doctoral graduate of hydraulic engineering from Germany and did his postgraduate studies in the same field in the United States. Prime Minister Abiy has made him the de facto leader of the negotiating team, claims gossip.
Despite his competence with the technicalities of the Dam and its engineering marvels, some of the members in the negotiating team see him as a self-willed technocrat with little desire to listen to the views of others on the team, claims gossip. Some of them privately concede that Ethiopia has already given in - under duress - to the demands of Egypt, which Seleshi was prepared to admit during his recent public address in Addis Abeba, gossip disclosed.
One is the distance Ethiopia traveled to accept the threshold of water release from the Dam to be 39 billion cubic metres (bcm), a position that changed from the original plan of 31 bcm, as opposed to Egypt's 40 billion bcm demand at the beginning, gossip disclosed.
Unhappy with the way Seleshi has been accommodating Egyptian demands, or his perceived reluctance to remain steadfast in the defense of Ethiopia's interests, no less than three members of the negotiating team have submitted letters of complaint to the Prime Minister, gossip disclosed. They warn of talks that are not following the best interests of Ethiopia and tendered their resignations, disclosed gossip.
PUBLISHED ON
Feb 15,2020 [ VOL
20 , NO
1033]
Radar | Dec 17,2022
Viewpoints | Mar 11,2023
Fortune News | Aug 14,2021
Fortune News | Sep 10,2021
Radar | Apr 17,2020
Radar | Oct 12,2019
Viewpoints | Jul 23,2022
News Analysis | May 18,2024
Obituary | Mar 16,2024
Radar | Oct 19,2024
My Opinion | 126840 Views | Aug 14,2021
My Opinion | 122973 Views | Aug 21,2021
My Opinion | 121125 Views | Sep 10,2021
My Opinion | 119025 Views | Aug 07,2021
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
Mar 30 , 2025
When the private satellite channel, Ethiopian Broadcasting Service (EBS), aired an em...
Mar 23 , 2025
Getachew Redda, head of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration (TIRA), at least u...
Mar 16 , 2025
Ask anyone about the population of Addis Abeba, and a straightforward answer proves e...
Mar 9 , 2025
Five years ago, 11 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), together with 40 allies acr...
Mar 30 , 2025
The brewing industry faces a storm, with barley shortages leading to a substantial sp...
Mar 30 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER
Federal officials are accelerating the shift towards domestically assembled electric...
Mar 30 , 2025 . By AKSAH ITALO
The federal government is pushing towards a single account for the treasury to consol...
The Ministry of Transport & Logistics faced scrutiny after federal auditors uncov...