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The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dominated the talk show circuit last night after Egypt rejected Ethiopia’s unilateral moves to fill the dam in a speech to the UN Security Council. The issue was covered at length in Ala Mas’ouleety (watch, runtime: 4:52) and Salaat El Tahrir (watch, runtime: 2:06).
“Ethiopia’s recent provocations and unilateral actions require Egypt to take action, including through the possible use of a range of strong diplomatic measures, such as addressing the African Union on this issue,” former assistant foreign minister Mohamed Hegazy told Ahmed Moussa on Ala Mas’ouleety (watch, runtime: 14:44). Hegazy called on Egypt and Sudan to consider establishing an organization for downstream countries, adding, “Ethiopia has ignored the Declaration of Principles signed in 2015.”
Remember: The three countries have been unable to agree on how to divvy out the Nile’s water resources following the construction of the USD 4.6 bn dam, which Egypt says presents an existential threat to its water security. Central to the dispute is the timetable for filling the GERD’s reservoir and how much water Ethiopia will release as the dam becomes operational. Ethiopia has been unilaterally filling the reservoir over the past three years without a binding agreement, angering Cairo which in 2021 pulled out of African Union-led negotiations.
ALSO ON THE AIRWAVES- The Finance Ministry has decided to conduct a detailed inventory and review of all vehicles released for people with disabilities across the country to ensure that those eligible for customs exemptions are the ones using the vehicles, Azza Mostafa said on her program El Sa’a El Sadesa (watch, runtime: 4:43).
“The main reason for the decision is the detection of numerous violations, including the use of vehicles by individuals without disabilities,” Egyptian Automotive Dealers Association head Osama Abo El Magd told Mostafa. El Magd explained that “some such individuals purchase letters for vehicles designated for people with disabilities, which are fully exempt from customs duties, in exchange for amounts ranging between EGP 50-70k.” El Magd added that violators could face penalties including the confiscation of the vehicle and fines of approximately EGP 30k, in addition to paying the full amount of customs duties.
