Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania discussed fair and equitable use of the Nile waters, and security concern in the Horn of Africa (HoA).
Foreign Ministers of the three east African states met on Wednesday on the margins of the 79th UNGA in New York.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taye Atske-Selassie, conferred separately with Minister of Rwandan Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe (Amb.), and “exchanged views on their common stance to hold a unified position on fair and equitable utilization of water resources on the Nile.”
According to Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Atske-Selassie mentioned “South Sudan's ratification of the CFA as a historic decision that manifested the desire of the people of the Nile River Basin states to ensure equitable and reasonable utilization of the Nile River. Both ministers agreed to stand together in the implementation of the CFA.”
The Ministry also announced that the discussion with the Ugandan Minister included “the security situation in the Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia, where the two sides stressed the need for a careful and comprehensive consideration of important issues before any post ATMIS arrangement is decided.”
The ministry underscored that “Ethiopia and Uganda, along with other Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs), share concerns that any hasty decision on post ATMIS arrangement could jeopardize significant gains achieved so far against the fight on terrorism.”
Ethiopia welcomes the second Nile Summit that Uganda is hosting in mid-October 2024, to mark historic milestone of the entry into force of the CFA and the establishment of the Nile River Basin Commission, Ethiopian Foreign Minister highlighted.
The entry into force of the CFA is a positive development to ensure equitable and reasonable utilization of the shared resource and enhance cooperation between the riparian states.//