Ethiopia irrigation minister: Ethiopia has not started filling dam, pooling in reservoir due to rains is ‘known to Egyptian president’

Ethiopian Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister Seleshi Bekele has dismissed reports that Ethiopia has begun filling the mega-dam on the Blue Nile, saying that the rise in the water level behind the dam is a result of rainfall.

“The level has risen like last year due to the pooling effect and water budget balance,” Seleshi told Mada Masr, addressing satellite photos that were published by the Associated Press in recent days that showed the dam’s reservoir had swelled. “This is very well known by Egyptian experts and the Egyptian president. Some people in the media just pushed and said Ethiopia started filling.”

A number of media outlets reported earlier on Wednesday that Ethiopia had begun filling the dam, citing a post published on the state-owned Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation’s Facebook page. The post, which has since been edited, claimed that Seleshi had announced the filling of the dam had started. 

In his address on state television on Wednesday, Seleshi said, "The construction of the dam and the filling of the water go hand in hand.” 

Seleshi’s comments come a few days after the conclusion of the latest round of negotiations held over the past two weeks that were brokered by the African Union, which is currently headed by South Africa. The talks ended without a comprehensive agreement between the three parties. On Monday, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia presented the AU with their assessments of the outcome of the talks. A summit meeting is scheduled to take place in the next few days to discuss the results and ways to move forward.

Ethiopia has repeatedly maintained that it has the right to begin filling the dam during the rainy season in July with or without a final agreement. The countries remain deadlocked on two key issues: legally binding drought mitigation protocols and a dispute resolution mechanism.

“Nothing hinders Ethiopia from filling, but the fact of the matter is that we have to negotiate,” Seleshi said. “We are in negotiations, and it is not necessary to bring any unnecessary information to the public.”

The initial reports on Wednesday that Ethiopia had begun filling the dam prompted immediate reactions in Cairo and Khartoum, a sign of the highly delicate nature of the talks. 

An Egyptian government official told Mada Masr that Egypt would consider recalling its ambassadors to Ethiopia and South Africa for consultations if Addis Ababa began unilaterally filling the dam absent an agreement. The source also said it would be “highly unlikely” that Cairo would participate in the upcoming summit meeting. 

Despite Seleshi’s denial, Cairo has informed a number of United Nations Security Council members that it is investigating the accuracy of media reports to ascertain whether rainfall is pooling in the dam’s reservoir or Ethiopia has diverted the Blue Nile’s flow, according to a Western diplomatic source. The source adds that Cairo has informed several concerned capitals that if Ethiopia has diverted the river’s flow, Cairo will go to the security council to issue a resolution rejecting the unilateral action Ethiopia has taken to fill the dam’s reservoir. 

Meanwhile, Sudan’s Ministry of Irrigation and Water issued a statement “renewing its rejection of any unilateral actions taken by any party especially with the continued efforts of the African Union and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to reach a consensus between the three countries on the sticking points that can be agreed upon if there is political will.”