{"id":50418,"date":"2025-06-22T18:20:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T15:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/?p=50418"},"modified":"2025-06-22T18:20:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T15:20:51","slug":"washingtons-admission-of-funding-the-renaissance-dam-timing-and-implications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/22\/washingtons-admission-of-funding-the-renaissance-dam-timing-and-implications\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington\u2019s Admission of Funding the Renaissance Dam: Timing and Implications"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sudan Events \u2013 Agencies<\/strong><\/p>\n

In an unprecedented move, U.S. President Donald Trump, for the first time during his new term, spoke about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), revealing that America had funded the project\u2014a move he described as \u201cstupid\u201d\u2014and which sparked a diplomatic crisis between Ethiopia and Egypt.<\/p>\n

\u201cStupid Funding\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Commenting on the possibility of not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize despite the achievements during his terms, Trump referred to several international issues, foremost among them maintaining peace between Egypt and Ethiopia. He said the United States \u201cstupidly\u201d funded the Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia built on the Blue Nile, causing a severe diplomatic rift with Egypt. He noted that the dam significantly reduces the Nile River\u2019s water flow.<\/p>\n

Establishing Calm<\/strong><\/p>\n

On his \u201cTruth Social\u201d platform, Trump stated his commitment to establishing calm in the Middle East, as he had done in several conflicts including the Israeli-Iranian war, India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, and between Egypt and Ethiopia regarding a massive dam that affects the great Nile River. He claimed that there is peace currently\u2014at least for now\u2014thanks to his intervention, and that it will remain so.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s remarks sparked significant reactions regarding the purpose and timing of his statement and its future consequences. It\u2019s worth noting that Trump previously played the role of mediator in the GERD negotiations during his first term, though he ultimately failed to resolve the dispute between the two countries.<\/p>\n

An Old Game<\/strong><\/p>\n

Former Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Dr. Mohamed Nasr Eldin Allam, commented on Trump\u2019s statements, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s the irony of tragedy.\u201d In a Facebook post, Allam added that Trump failed to consider that he was addressing Egypt\u2014a country well aware of who was behind the 2011 events and the Ethiopian dams planned since the 1960s. He highlighted that the tactic of distracting nations and shifting their focus from one issue to another\u2014preceded by scattered conflicts\u2014is a very old game.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Egyptian international law expert Dr. Ayman Salama posted on Facebook: \u201cTo correct Uncle Trump and his Facebook followers: Egypt has not, and will not, wage any wars against Ethiopia… the matter is settled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attention-Seeking<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Abbas Sharaky, a prominent Egyptian water resources expert, suggested that Trump\u2019s mention of the GERD might be an attempt to draw attention to his global roles. Speaking to Al-Muhaqqiq (The Investigator), Sharaky clarified that the U.S. did not fund the dam. He explained that in 2020, the U.S. sponsored negotiations over the dam and a draft agreement was prepared between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. However, Ethiopia failed to show up on the signing day. Egypt signed the deal, while Sudan refrained due to Ethiopia’s absence. Since then, negotiations have failed. Trump was reportedly angered by Ethiopia’s actions and, two months later, suspended U.S. aid to Ethiopia\u2014about $20 million.<\/p>\n

Sharaky questioned the claim of U.S. funding, asking: \u201cWould Trump have said during his first term that the dam is dangerous for Egypt and that no one would blame Egypt if it struck the dam, had America truly funded it?\u201d He suggested Trump\u2019s recent statements are more of a critique against former President Joe Biden\u2019s administration, accusing it of misusing American funds. He added that dam storage was completed in September of last year, reaching 60 billion cubic meters.<\/p>\n

An Admission Without Details<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sudanese international law expert Dr. Ahmed Al-Mufti noted that Trump\u2019s statement was the first time followers of the GERD issue had heard of any U.S. funding. Al-Mufti, a former member of the international GERD committee, told Al-Muhaqqiq that Trump\u2019s revelation came amid the Israeli attack on Iran, with no details or clarifications about whether the funding was full or partial, or whether it came directly from the U.S. government or affiliated entities.<\/p>\n

He added that had the funding come from a party uninvolved in negotiations, the admission wouldn\u2019t be very significant. However, the U.S. was deeply involved in the GERD talks and even invited the three countries to Washington when negotiations stalled, going so far as to draft an agreement that Egypt approved, but Ethiopia rejected. The U.S. also appointed a special envoy for the dam issue.<\/p>\n

Self-Serving Goals<\/strong><\/p>\n

Al-Mufti emphasized that despite close U.S. engagement with Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the GERD, Washington never disclosed any financial involvement. He suggested that Trump\u2019s recent admission likely serves U.S. interests rather than those of any of the three countries. He pointed out that had the funding been revealed earlier, the U.S. would not have been eligible to mediate in the negotiations.<\/p>\n

He speculated that the statement could be aimed at winning over Egypt, especially given current disagreements between Cairo and Washington regarding the potential relocation of Palestinians to Sinai and Israel’s concerns about the Egyptian military presence in the area. He noted Trump\u2019s regretful tone about the funding, which he said enabled Ethiopia to withhold Nile water to Egypt’s detriment.<\/p>\n

Reassurance and Apology<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sudanese security and strategic affairs expert Dr. Amin Ismail Majzoub interpreted Trump\u2019s statement as an indication that Egypt had posed a significant obstacle to U.S. Middle East policy. He told Al-Muhaqqiq that Egypt is a central regional power with vast influence, which led the U.S. to participate in funding the dam\u2014possibly using American or Gulf funds\u2014to pressure Egypt on water issues and to revise Nile water agreements.<\/p>\n

He noted that these pressures did not yield the expected results. \u201cFrom the beginning of the dam\u2019s construction in 2011, through the signing of the Declaration of Principles in 2015, until now\u2014what has changed?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

He argued that the Israeli-Iranian war had changed regional dynamics, and that the U.S. now needs Egypt. He saw Trump\u2019s remarks as an attempt to expose past U.S. actions and express regret over the GERD funding, suggesting that Egypt remains the only stable regional power capable of leading efforts to resolve issues like the Palestinian question, secure maritime routes such as the Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandeb, and end the war in Sudan.<\/p>\n

He concluded that the U.S. might now hand over the Sudan file to Egypt, which better understands its complexities, and that Trump\u2019s statement serves as reassurance and a form of apology to Cairo\u2014possibly marking the start of a new chapter in relations.<\/p>\n

Source: Al-Muhaqqiq News Website<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sudan Events \u2013 Agencies In an unprecedented move, U.S. President Donald Trump, for the first time during his new term, spoke about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), revealing that America had funded the project\u2014a move he described as \u201cstupid\u201d\u2014and which sparked a diplomatic crisis between Ethiopia and Egypt. \u201cStupid Funding\u201d Commenting on the possibility …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50418"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50420,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50418\/revisions\/50420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}