Al-Arabiya reported earlier today that heavy weapons clashes between the Sudanese and Ethiopian armies took place after Sudan announced yesterday that Ethiopia began the second phase of filling the reservoir behind the mega Grand Ethipian Renaissance Dam (GERD). However earlier on Tuesday Ethiopia announced its commitment to implement the second phase over summer.
Speculations about whether Egypt is expected to interfere in the ongoing conflict or the potential dangers the conflict poses in time of the beginning of the second filling circulated the social media and found its way to the top trending topics in Egypt.
Dr Tarek Fahmy, professor of Political Science at Cairo University, condemned the social media’s speculations about Egypt’s interference and questions about what is expected from the Egyptian side since this is wrong and is considered as an interference with national security.
Fahmy: what’s going on is regular clashes between the Sudanese and Ethiopian sides over the border region on which there is an ongoing conflict
Fahmy added to “Trendify '' that what’s going on is regular clashes between the Sudanese and Ethiopian sides over the border region on which there is an ongoing conflict. This conflict coincides with the presence of bilateral military exercises of Egypt and Sudan over there in Sudan. So, this may be the reason many ask about what Egypt will do next. However, this can not be predicted because these are military issues, media with all its forms including social media has nothing to do with it.
Fahmy illustrated that the dangers of the precedented ongoing conflict between Sudan and Ethiopia are that it takes place close to the region of Egyptian-Sudanese military exercises, coincides with the obstinacy of the Ethiopian side with regard to the GERD issue, the beginning of the second filling and the currently ongoing tension in Horn of Africa region and Nile Basin countries.
Bakr: As for the interference of the Egyptian side, there is no news about this from the ministry of Foreign affairs
Dr Noha Bakr, professor of Political Sciences and expert of international relations, said that occurrence of clashes between Sudan and Ethiopia as there are border conflicts that regularly result in clashes. As for the interference of the Egyptian side, there is no news about this from the ministry of Foreign affairs in Egypt and military issues are not a matter of expectations they are either announced or not.
As per the second filling, Bakr said to “Trendify” that the denial of Ethiopia of the beginning of the second filling after Sudan announced it is normal since this is what happened in the first filling where the neighboring countries were the source of reliable information regarding the filling not Ethiopia that denied it back then.
Bakr: Egypt tends to resolve any political issue in a diplomatic way and avoid any security choices
Bakr added that Egypt tends to resolve any political issue in a diplomatic way and avoid any security choices. The Egyptian situation with this regard is a wise one with well studied decisions that correlate with international legitimacy.
Bakr: No one owns the whole truth in this issue but the Egyptian political leadership is wise enough to take the right decision
No one owns the whole truth in this issue but the Egyptian political leadership is wise enough to take the right decision in this regard and from a political view the patience of the Egyptian side is on the point up till now, Bakr added.
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