Vision Ethiopia Rejects the Statement by the Secretary of the Treasury Regarding the GERD 

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March 4, 2020 

Vision Ethiopia, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, strongly decries the blatantly outrageous and biased Statement issued by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury on February 29, 2020 concerning the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

While Vision Ethiopia duly recognizes the genuine engagement of any third party in the efforts to formulate a framework for equitable and fair use of the Blue Nile among Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, it categorically characterizes the Statement by the Treasury Secretary as biased, neo-colonialist in spirit, and a direct affront to the sovereignty and independence of the people of Ethiopia.

The curious Statement issued by the Secretary of the Treasury has far-reaching consequences in exacerbating an already volatile situation in the Horn of Africa. The irresponsible Statement is likely to incite devastating conflicts, cause mass migration and inflict untold human suffering in the region and beyond.

Unsurprisingly, emboldened by the unorthodox Statement, Egypt has already issued warnings to use all means necessary to impose colonial-era treaties on Ethiopia.

Predictably, the unjust and ill-advised Statement has also aroused anger among the over 100 million Ethiopians, threatening to destabilize the government that has been rocked by ethnic strife and political unrest.

Most profoundly, the Statement is an affront not only against the people of Ethiopia, but also against all peoples of color around the world.

We, therefore, call upon all peace-loving and fair-minded peoples of the world to stand with and by the people of Ethiopia, and to condemn the unjust and politically motivated Statement by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

We also call upon the U.S. Government to cease and desist from further using its considerable influence and power to impose unlawful and unjust treaties on Ethiopia that will have far reaching implications for regional peace, security and stability. 

Getachew Begashaw, PhD 

President, Vision Ethiopia