KHARTOUM, 23 June 2021, (TON): A government statement said that Sudan asked the UN Security Council to meet and discuss a dispute over a giant dam being built by Ethiopia on the Blue Nile.

Ethiopia is pinning its hopes of economic development and power generation on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), while the two downstream countries Egypt and Sudan are concerned about it and seeking a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.

Egypt relies on the Nile River for as much as 90 percent of its fresh water and sees the dam as an existential threat. Sudan is concerned about the operation of its own Nile dams and water stations.

The government statement said “Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mariam Sadiq Al-Mahdi called on the Security Council to hold a session as soon as possible to discuss GERD and “its impact on the safety and security of millions of people.”

In a letter to the council head, she called on him to urge Ethiopia to stop the unilateral filling of the dam “which exacerbates the dispute and poses a threat to regional and international peace and security,” the statement added.

Ethiopian officials did not immediately return messages seeking comment.