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Ethiopia Insists on Scheduled Second GERD Filling

A construction worker at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (AFP)
A construction worker at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (AFP)
    Khartoum, Cairo - Mohammed Amin Yassin and Mohammed Nabil Helmi
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Ethiopia Insists on Scheduled Second GERD Filling

A construction worker at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (AFP)
A construction worker at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (AFP)

Ignoring calls and warnings from both Sudan and Egypt, Ethiopia reaffirmed it still had plans to move forward with the second phase of filling its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) when the rainy season begins in July.

The second filling of the mega-dam will go ahead as scheduled in July/August, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tweeted on Sunday, noting that this step will prevent floods in neighboring Sudan.

Addis Ababa has repeatedly insisted that the dam is not aimed at harming the interests of downstream countries.

It announced in 2020 that it had completed the first phase of filling the dam, achieving its target of 4.9 billion cubic meters, which allowed the testing of the first two turbines of the dam. This year, it targets filling an additional 13.5 billion cubic meters.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese government has intensified its diplomatic efforts to mobilize African and Arab support for its position on the dispute.

Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi held on Sunday a virtual meeting with ambassadors of the African Union (AU) member states.

She stressed in a statement her country’s firm stance, which calls for reaching a comprehensive binding and legal agreement before going ahead with the second filling.

Mahdi presented a detailed explanation of the outcomes of the recent talks in Kinshasa earlier this month and said Khartoum looks forward to receiving their support to reach an agreement fair to all parties, the statement noted.

Sudanese Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasser Abbas took part in the meeting and stressed the importance of having the political will to achieve the desired gains for the three relevant parties.

He pointed to Sudan’s proposal to include the European Union, United States and United Nations in the negotiations, in an addition to current African Union mediators.

Cairo and Khartoum reject Addis Ababa’s unilateral second filling of the dam before reaching a binding agreement.

The latest round of talks between the three countries in Kinshasa ended with no progress made.

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Washington Links Israeli Withdrawal from Southern Lebanon to Hezbollah’s Disarmament

Local residents inspect the debris and rubble from a collapsed building hit by an overnight Israeli airstrike in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on June 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Local residents inspect the debris and rubble from a collapsed building hit by an overnight Israeli airstrike in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on June 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Washington Links Israeli Withdrawal from Southern Lebanon to Hezbollah’s Disarmament

Local residents inspect the debris and rubble from a collapsed building hit by an overnight Israeli airstrike in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on June 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Local residents inspect the debris and rubble from a collapsed building hit by an overnight Israeli airstrike in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on June 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Concerns are growing in Lebanon after the United States' reluctance to step in, either directly or through the International Monitoring Committee overseeing the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement, and prevent Israel from further escalating its strikes in the country.

On Thursday, the Israeli military struck several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs that it said held underground facilities used by Hezbollah for drone production. The strikes, preceded by an Israeli warning to evacuate several buildings, came on the eve of Eid al-Adha.

What aggravated the Lebanese concerns was Israel’s prior notification to the United States of its plan to target these buildings, which were later found not to be used by Hezbollah for manufacturing drones.

According to official Lebanese sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, they said that Washington acknowledged that the buildings were not used by Hezbollah and directed blame at Tel Aviv citing that Israel’s justifications were unfounded.

But the US criticism of Tel Aviv is unlikely to deter the latter from carrying out further aggression against Lebanon, amid the failure of the monitoring committee to address Israel’s violations.

Washington blaming Israel will not change the reality on the ground as long as it enjoys a US cover that allows it to maintain pressure on Lebanon to set a timeline for Hezbollah’s disarmament linked to its own withdrawal from the south.

But Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have reiterated commitment to limiting weapons to the state’s control and urged the international community to pressure Israel into withdrawing from southern Lebanon.

Ministerial sources said that President Aoun stands firm in his position and is in ongoing communication with Hezbollah leadership paving way for dialogue aimed at ensuring the state’s exclusive control over arms once conditions are ripe for implementation.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hezbollah has no choice but to engage in serious dialogue, which is not intended as a stalling tactic while awaiting the outcome of US-Iranian negotiations on the nuclear file.

They also assure that Lebanon is committed to the continued presence of the monitoring committee overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire.

They point out that the upcoming dialogue with Hezbollah on securing the state’s exclusive control over weapons is a cornerstone of Lebanon’s national security strategy.

The sources question the absence of the US engagement in Lebanon mainly regarding the military developments and Israel’s escalation. They highlight that Lebanon is witnessing one of its darkest times compounded by Washington’s dismissal of Morgan Ortagus, the deputy special envoy for the Middle East, from handling the Lebanese file.

This move has left US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson, and the entire Lebanese state, in a state of uncertainty, as Washington is reportedly considering sending Ambassador Thomas Barrett, although no official date has been announced for his arrival in Beirut.

Barrett is currently the US envoy to Türkiye and recently appointed by President Donald Trump as special envoy to Syria.

On the other hand, political sources interpret the current absence of the US role, and Israel’s unrestricted freedom to act against Hezbollah’s remaining military capabilities, as a deliberate strategy it uses to safeguard its borders.

It also links withdrawal from south Lebanon to a timeline for containing Hezbollah’s weapons and limiting it to the state’s control.

The White House endorses the principle of linking Israel’s withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament as “it was crafted in the United States”, according to MPs who frequently visit Washington.

Lebanon has no choice but to adhere to that, viewing it as a mandatory passage to bring a political end to the Iranian interference in the region with the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and to enter a new political phase for the Mediterranean country.