Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia resume negotiations on GERD Renaissance dam

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Aug 2023 22:33

Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam stressed the need to reach an agreement on the rules for filling and operating the dam that would be fair and equitable to all three countries.

Picture of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) (Twitter)

Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia have resumed negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Cairo, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.

In mid-July, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed agreed to resume negotiations on the GERD and to make every effort to reach a deal within four months.

"Negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) resumed this Sunday morning in Cairo. Delegations from Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Sudan participated in a new round of talks," the ministry said in a statement.

During the negotiations, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam stressed the need to reach an agreement on the rules for filling and operating the dam that would be fair and equitable to all three countries.

"He reaffirmed Egypt's conviction that there are multiple technical and legal solutions that meet the needs and interests of all three countries and that would enable reaching the requisite balanced agreement," the ministry said.

Ethiopia began construction of the GERD in 2012. The dam is expected to generate significant amounts of hydroelectric power, but it has also been controversial due to concerns about its impact on water availability in Sudan and Egypt. The three countries have held over a dozen consultations aimed at resolving these concerns, but they have yet to reach an agreement.

Tensions between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt reached a boiling point in the summer of 2020 when Ethiopia unilaterally began filling the reservoir of the GERD without reaching an agreement with the other two countries. Ethiopia completed the second stage of filling the reservoir in July 2021, and the third stage in August 2022.