We don’t need anyone’s permission to build dam – Ateny
President Salva Kiir’s Press Secretary Ateny Wek Ateny speaking to reporters in 2014 in Juba (Credit: Unknown)
June 18, 2020 (SSNN) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir’s press secretary Ateny Wek Ateny has said that the world’s youngest country will not seek the permission of anyone to build a dam along the Nile saying the country will only do so in line with region water agreements.
Ateny was reacting to a social media report in which he was “wrongly” quoted as saying it is not the right time for South Sudan to use the Nile’s water for developmental purposes.
Ateny denied the report and reiterated South Sudan’s right for development and said the country will not ask for the permission of any country to build a dam along the Nile, but said the country will do so in line with regional rules.
“South Sudanese for the moment are only looking for sustainable peace, and then seek developmental projects later. We have the Nile flowing in our country and we need no permission from any, except in accordance with the Nile Basin Protocol,” Ateny said.
Ateny’s statements came at a time tensions were high between Egypt and Ethiopia over the construction of Ethiopia’s dam.
There have been reports that the South Sudan government was allocating land in the east of the country for Egypt to deploy troops to possibly counter Ethiopia in case of any escalation.
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