An Ethiopian official has denied the recent claim made by former U.S. President Donald Trump that the United States funded the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the River Nile.
Yibeltal Aemero, a spokesperson for the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, refuted Trump’s assertion, stating that the GERD is a project fully funded by the Ethiopian government and its people. He emphasized that Ethiopia has not received any financial assistance from the United States for the construction of the dam.
The statement comes after Trump claimed at a rally in Iowa that he had stopped a $4.8 billion aid package to Ethiopia because the country had broken the dam deal. Trump’s comments have sparked controversy and confusion, as there is no public record or official confirmation of such a funding allocation for the GERD.
Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan have been involved in extensive negotiations regarding the filling and operation of the dam, which has been a source of tension in the region due to concerns over water security and downstream impacts on the Nile River.
The Ethiopian government sees the GERD as a crucial national development project that will provide electricity to millions of Ethiopians and boost the country’s economy. However, Egypt and Sudan have expressed concerns about the potential effects of the dam on their water supply.
The denial by the Ethiopian official underscores the complexity of the situation surrounding the GERD and the divergent perspectives of the parties involved. The dispute highlights the challenges of managing shared water resources in a politically and economically sensitive context.
Sources Analysis:
Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – The ministry represents the Ethiopian government’s official position and interests in foreign relations, likely to defend national sovereignty and legitimate funding sources for the dam.
Donald Trump – The former U.S. President has a history of making controversial and unverified claims, potentially using the GERD issue for political purposes or to present himself in a certain light.
Fact Check:
Claim of U.S. funding for the GERD – Unconfirmed claim. No verifiable evidence or official confirmation of the alleged $4.8 billion aid package from the United States to Ethiopia for the dam construction.
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Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Ethiopian official denies Donald Trump’s claim that US funded River Nile dam”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.