Ethiopia River Nile dam: PM condemns 'aggressions' after Trump comment

 

Ethiopia's prime minister has said his country "will not cave in to aggressions of any kind" after President Donald Trump suggested Egypt could destroy a controversial Nile dam.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is at the centre of a long-running dispute involving Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.

Trump said Egypt would not be able to live with the dam and might "blow up" the construction.

Ethiopia sees the US as siding with Egypt in the dispute.

The US announced in September that it would cut some aid to Ethiopia after it began filling the reservoir behind the dam in July.

Why is the dam disputed?

Egypt relies on the bulk of its water needs on the Nile and is concerned supplies could be cut off and its economy undermined as Ethiopia takes control of the flow of Africa's longest river.

Once complete, the $4bn (£3bn) structure on the Blue Nile in western Ethiopia will be Africa's largest hydro-electric project.

The speed with which Ethiopia fills up the dam will govern how severely Egypt is affected - the slower the better as far as Cairo is concerned. That process is expected to take several years.

Sudan, further upstream than Egypt, is also concerned about water shortages.

Ethiopia, which announced the start of construction in 2011, says it needs the dam for its economic development.

Negotiations between the three countries were being chaired by the US, but are now overseen by the African Union.

What did the Ethiopian PM say?

PM Abiy Ahmed did not address Trump's remarks directly, but there appears to be little doubt about what prompted his robust comments.

Ethiopians would finish the dam, he vowed.

"Ethiopia will not cave into the aggression of any kind," he said. "Ethiopians have never kneeled to obey their enemies but to respect their friends. We won't do it today and in the future."

Threats of any kind over the issue were "misguided, unproductive and clear violations of international law".