U.S. Cutting $100 Million In Aid To Ethiopia Over Dam Dispute

By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – The United States is cutting at least roughly $100 million in aid to impoverished Ethiopia due to its “lack of progress” in talks with Egypt and Sudan over a massive disputed dam project on the Nile River, officials confirmed.

“Up to $100 million, or so will be affected, of which $ 26 million in funding that expires at the end of the (financial year),” a Congressional source added in an email published by Reuters news agency.

Ethiopia said this week it was asking Washington to clarify reports that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo approved reducing “up to $130 million” in support due to the dam dispute. The 30 million dollar difference in the figures mentioned by officials could not be immediately reconciled.

The Reuters’ source claimed much of the expiring funding is for regional or border security, political competition, consensus-building, and nutrition.

However, funding for HIV/AIDS, the food for peace program, international disaster assistance, and migration and refugee assistance would be unaffected, the official stressed.

The Congressional representative apparently spoke anonymously as the official wasn’t authorized to discuss the issue with media. Ethiopia’s government wasn’t immediately available for comment.

TEMPORARY PAUSE

Separately, the U.S. State Department confirmed the “temporarily pause” in aid to a key regional security ally. It said the cut “reflects our concern about Ethiopia’s unilateral decision to begin to fill the dam before an agreement and all necessary dam safety measures were in place.”

It was an unusual example of U.S. President Donald Trump’s direct intervention on an issue in Africa, which he has not yet visited while in office.

Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt have been in a bitter dispute over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The standoff remains unresolved, although the reservoir behind the dam began filling in July.

Ethiopia says the dam will generate electricity and help lift its population out of poverty. It will have an installed capacity of 6,450 megawatts – more than doubling Ethiopia’s existing capacity, according to experts. The dam is also seen as a symbol of national pride and Ethiopia’s effort to become Africa’s biggest power exporter.

But Egypt says it relies on the Nile for more than 90 percent of its freshwater and fears the dams will cause more shortages. Negotiations have stalled over a demand from Egypt and Sudan that any deal should be legally binding. They want the agreement to resolve future disputes on managing the dam during periods of reduced rainfall or drought.

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