South Sudan tells Ethiopia to stay out of its relations with Egypt

JUBA – South Sudan’s defense minister Angelina Teny has said that it was up to her country’s government to offer military base to Egypt and not Ethiopia saying the country’s foreign relations cannot be decided by a foreign country.

This comes after the Ethiopian government warned President Salva Kiir of offering military base to Egypt which the Ethiopians believes would be used as a launching pad for attacks against Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) by Egypt.

Speaking during a meeting at Bilpam following her return to work on Tuesday, the South Sudan defense minister said Ethiopia cannot define the country’s relations with its friends such as Egypt or any other country.

“The Ethiopians have threatened us that if we give our friends in Egypt a base, they will strike us,” Teny said.

“But, where in the world a country’s foreign relations are defined by a foreign country?” she asked.

“All in all, Ethiopia will not define our relations with Egypt. If they have issues, they should not think that we should also have issues with Egypt. It is up to the government of the Republic of South Sudan to do what it wants with its friends.”