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"...There is an option to negotiate and reach an agreement, and there is the option of military action against the dam. So, this (second) option requires to be prepared and the exercises are one of these preparations," he told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.
Ismail pointed out that the manoeuvres are also a message to Ethiopia that Sudan and Egypt are ready for military action. Also, it is also a message to the international community that "if it does not intervene effectively, the two countries will turn to the option of war," he stressed.