ግብጽ እና ኢትዮጲያ በቦክሱ መድረክ በመጪው ወር ሜይ 31, 2014 አዲስ አበባ ላይ ይገናኛሉ። ኢትዮጲያዊው ሳሚ ረታ እና ግብጻዊው አህመድ ሰኢድ ግጥሚያውን የሚያደርጉት በሁለቱ የአፍሪካ ሀገራት መካከል ሰላምን ለመስበክ ነው ተብሏል።

Ethiopian, Egyptian boxers face off for peace

ADDIS ABABA – Two boxers – one Ethiopian and one Egyptian – will meet in the ring next month in an effort to promote peace between the two African nations.

Ethiopian heavyweight Sami Reta and Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Said are set to trade blows for peace in Addis Ababa on May 31 amid a diplomatic rivalry between their countries over Ethiopia’s hydroelectric dam project on the upper reaches of the Nile River.

“Ahmed and I have already signed the agreement to meet in Addis Ababa for the match. I have affixed my signature on it here and sent it to Ahmed through International Boxing Federation President Onesmo A. Ngowi,” Reta told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

“Ahmed also signed the agreement and he will surely be here for the game,” he said.

“The match, which is arranged by the Addis Ababa-based Africa Sports Promotion [initiative], is aimed at promoting peace,” Reta added.

He said the bout was intended to convey the message that “Africans are one people.”

“The game will be an opportunity to exhibit the oneness of the two countries and say ‘rest in peace’ to mistrust,” he said.

Ngowi, for his part, said the bout’s basic objective was to promote peace in Africa.

“I congratulate Reta for the grand idea of uniting Africa; I am also impressed by Ethiopia for taking the measure to build a dam on the Nile,” he said.

“The Nile is a gift from God that is enough for everybody. We urge all countries to learn how to coexist with each other and share the gift of God in a spirit of cooperation,” he said.

Reta said DSTV SuperSport would provide live coverage of the game, which is sponsored by private airline National Airways.

National Airways owner Abera Lemi, for his part, told AA that the main objective of the boxing match was to promote a good image of his country.

“Our company is sponsoring the game, as the idea of the match is great and it helps to strengthen people-to-people relations between Ethiopia and Egypt,” Lemi said.

Reta, 32, said he began training at the age of 14 and has since won 18 out of 21 fights.

Ethiopia’s mega-dam project has caused tension with Egypt, which fears the potential reduction of its traditional share of Nile water.

Addis Ababa, however, insists the dam will benefit downstream states Sudan and Egypt, both of which will be invited to purchase the electricity it will generate.