Hamdi Bakhit, a member of the Egyptian parliamentary Defense and National Security Committee, told Al-Monitor that Ethiopia’s flight ban over the Nile dam project is a mere stunt before the international community. Bakhit added that the ban is a preemptive threat aimed at accusing Egypt of having an intention to use military force to end the conflict.
In accordance with Article 152 of the constitution, the Egyptian army needs the approval of the House of Representatives to declare war or send troops to combat missions outside the borders.
Bakhit said, “What prompted Ethiopia to take this decision is that it is living in a state of internal instability as it suffers from ethnic conflicts, and the regime is trying to mobilize internal public opinion around a national cause exemplified by the GERD.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ruled out that his country would resort to a military solution in the dam crisis. He said July 28 that the military option is not a solution to this dispute and that negotiations are the only way to resolve the crisis. […] CONTINUE READING
