The Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Youssef Ahmed Al-Sharif, emphasized that “the issue of water security is a serious matter,” stressing “the necessity of applying international law to guarantee the water rights of Sudan and Egypt.”
During his appearance on the “Bil Waraqa Wal Qalam” program broadcast on “TeN” channel, Al-Sharif pointed out that “disregarding international law in the water issue is unacceptable, especially since water is considered one of the essential sources of life for peoples.”
He explained that “the area where the Renaissance Dam was built was originally a Sudanese region, which makes joint cooperation in its management a strategic necessity,” affirming that the Nile River is a matter of life or death for Egypt.
The Sudanese Foreign Minister highlighted “the importance of having political will and a clear national agenda to face water-related challenges in the region,” emphasizing that diplomatic language is necessary to serve the interests of the peoples.
He said: “If diplomacy is not employed to serve the people, then there is no good in this time,” stressing that the optimal solution lies in joint management of the Renaissance Dam in accordance with international law, achieving a balance between the interests of the three countries and guaranteeing their water rights without harming any party.
Both Egypt and Sudan, at the conclusion of a consultative meeting in Cairo, confirmed the “risks” of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and their joint work to reach a binding agreement on it, indicating their continued joint efforts to return the “Nile Basin” initiative to its consensual rules.
The two countries, at the end of the meeting, called for “first reaching a legally binding tripartite agreement on the filling and operation of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which began construction in 2011, especially during times of drought, to ensure the continued flow of their shares of the Nile River water.”
