Religious leaders urge Ethiopians to stand united to complete GERD

Addis Ababa, May 27, 2020 (FBC) -Religious leaders have called on the government to complete the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) alongside with conducting fair negotiations with the riparian countries for the benefit of citizens.

At a press conference it held yesterday, the Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia, an umbrella of seven member institutions, stressed Ethiopia’s natural right to develop the Nile river and recommended the continuation of the tripartite negotiations.

Abune Mathias, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church said the government needs to complete the dam based on mutual understanding with the downstream countries and without external interference.

He noted that Ethiopians have contributed a lot in terms of finance labour force for the construction of the dam with the hope of improving their livelihoods and the development of the country.

The government should, therefore, continue with its commitment to build and complete the dam for the benefit of public, without significantly harming the riparian countries, Abune Mathias underscored.

Secretary of Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council and representative of the President, Sheik Kasim Sheik Mohammed Tajudin said the government should complete the dam alongside with fair negotiations with Egypt and Sudan to benefit its citizens who have no access to electricity.

“With regard to the dam, we need to stand in unison and even pay sacrifice for its completion,” he stressed.

Ethiopian Catholic Church Head, Cardinal Berhaneyesus Suraphel noted that Ethiopia has the right to develop its rivers in order to provide electricity for its millions of citizens like Egypt.

“The Egyptians have better access to electricity than Ethiopia. In our case, students and households have no electricity,” he stated, adding that the downstream countries “should know that Ethiopians have no intention of harming Egypt or Sudan.”

Cardinal Berhaneyesus commended the agreement to resume the tripartite negotiations and underscored the need for African solutions to the disputes.

Head of Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia, Pastor Tsadiku Abdo said Egyptians and even Ethiopians need to cooperate and uphold principles of mutual benefit, mentioning the golden rule principle of “treating others as you want to be treated.”

He called on all Ethiopians to stand united to defend their rights as the Egyptians are pushing a controversial agenda with respect to the dam and provoking internal strife to effect the disintegration of Ethiopia.

Source: ENA