Ethiopian officials are demanding an explanation from the U.S. after it announced this week it would cut $100 million in aid after Ethiopia’s decision to begin filling a reservoir at a massive hydropower dam on the Nile River. Egypt and Sudan are opposed to the dam, which they fear could reduce their water supply. The U.S. State Department on Wednesday announced it would place a “temporary pause” on tens of millions of dollars in foreign assistance to Ethiopia, in response to authorities there filling a reservoir at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have been locked in a bitter dispute over the GERD and the waters of the Nile for nearly a decade. The U.S. entered the fray last year and attempted to broker an agreement, only for Ethiopia to step away from those talks due to suspicions over a bias in Washington towards Egypt. In Washington, talks over whether to cut aid to Ethiopia have been going on for weeks. While some State Department officials opposed the move due to the possible diplomatic fallout, others close to the White House and President Donald Trump pushed to make an example of Ethiopia for starting to fill the reservoir without first getting an agreement with Egypt and Sudan.
SOURCE: REUTERS AFRICA
More Stories
Lagos Rising: Meet the African Designers Who are Ushering in a New Guard of Fashion
My Life in Food: Idris Elba on African Cuisine and Cooking with his Mum
In His Imaginative Debut Feature, Walé Oyéjidé Brings Together Elements of His Life’s Work
What is Zellige Tile?
Ousmane Sembène at 100: A Tribute to Senegal’s ‘Father of African Cinema’
Inside an Ultra-exclusive Lodge on the Fringe of Etosha National Park
Tourists Flock to Nigerian Cave And Waterfall For Its ‘Healing Powers’
Morocco is Just as Worthy for a Sun Trip
African Markets Offer Unique Goods and Experiences
Get to Know East Africa’s Art Scene
Mo Ibrahim’s Index Looks at Africa’s State of Governance
France to Give Burkina Faso What It Wants