UDJ urges Ethiopia and Egypt to cease bellicosity

June 16, 2013

The Ethiopian opposition political party, Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), has released a press release titled “A Party committed to use everything for political consumption, endangers a country’s sovereignty”. The Party’s presser urged Ethiopia and Egypt to cease making bellicose statements, stop spreading propaganda that could harm the people to people relations of the two countries and work for a diplomatic relation and focus on round table discussions.

UDJ said Ethiopia has a natural right to use Abay River. It added both countries should stop using the Dam and the river as a means of calming down internal political tensions. It also called for the immediate start of a “national consensus”. UDJ also accused the Ethiopian government of using the damming of the River for political propaganda. The Party said, the government did not do enough diplomatic preparation before starting the Dam on Abay River, failed to conduct enough and reliable discussions and agreements with the Nile riparian countries and the government didn’t make enough military preparation to defend the Country if it was faced with a military aggression.

UDJ blamed the ruling party, EPRDF, for repressing the people in the name of development, labeling politicians and journalists as “terrorists”, interfering in religious affairs and in such a critical time, for failing to talk with local opposition parties that have national agendas.

The Party asks how this big project could succeed without a national understanding. It said, while the Egyptian President speaks together with the opposition and Sudan releases political prisoners, the Ethiopian government endangered the national consensus by stubbornly continuing to arrest and label citizens.

On the other hand, Bereket Simon, Minister of the Government Communication Affairs Office, said the government was not using the Dam project for political purposes and also refuted the accusations that EPRDF was making the Dam “its private property”.

Bereket said that his government does not believe Egypt will resort to war but thinks that it may attempt to arm Ethiopian oppositions, use its intelligence and cause local havoc and insecurity. He also admitted that there was “no military preparation” if the bellicosity developed into war.

Meanwhile, the Ethiopian House of People’s Representative unanimously ratified the Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) on June 13^th, 2013. Egypt, Democratic Congo and the Sudan did not sign the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) led by the Nile Basin Initiative, but six other riparian countries have signed and are enacting it in their respective parliaments.

The ratification of the Agreement by the Ethiopian parliament is feared to intensify the tension with Egypt further

 Posted By.Dawit Demelash