https://en.sputniknews.africa/20230714/egypt-ethiopia-agree-to-reach-deal-on-nile-dam-in-four-months-1060535096.html
Egypt, Ethiopia Agree to Reach Deal on Nile Dam in Four Months
Egypt, Ethiopia Agree to Reach Deal on Nile Dam in Four Months
Sputnik Africa
Egypt and Ethiopia agreed on Thursday to finalise a deal over Ethiopia's mega-dam on the Blue Nile within four months, a breakthrough after years of tensions... 14.07.2023, Sputnik Africa
2023-07-14T16:42+0200
2023-07-14T16:42+0200
2023-07-14T16:42+0200
sub-saharan africa
ethiopia
egypt
cairo
abdel fattah el-sisi
abiy ahmed
sudan
north africa
east africa
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.africa/img/07e7/07/0e/1060535078_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_322767dd946c4736a41f6f5273e095e2.jpg
The massive $4.2-billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been at the centre of a regional dispute ever since Ethiopia broke ground on the project in 2011, with Egypt fearing it will slash its share of Nile water.But in Cairo on Thursday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed "discussed ways of overcoming the current stalemate in negotiations" over the dam, a joint statement published by the Egyptian presidency said.They agreed "to initiate expedited negotiations to finalise the agreement between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on the filling" of the dam and its operation within four months, the statement said. The two leaders met on the sidelines of a summit of African leaders from war-torn Sudan's neighbours seeking to end the conflict that has raged there for nearly three months.Sudan was not involved in the talks between Sisi and Ahmed, but former rebel leader Mubarak Ardol – considered a close ally of the Sudanese army – later tweeted his support for the preliminary agreement on the dam.Protracted negotiations over the filling and operation of the dam since 2011 have failed to bring about an agreement between Ethiopia and its downstream neighbours. Egypt has long viewed the dam as an existential threat, as it relies on the Nile for 97% of its water needs.The dam is nonetheless central to Ethiopia's development plans, and in February 2022 Addis Ababa announced that it had begun generating hydroelectric energy for the first time.
https://en.sputniknews.africa/20230713/leaders-of-ethiopia-and-egypt-discuss-crisis-in-sudan-disputed-blue-nile-dam-1060501009.html
ethiopia
egypt
cairo
sudan
north africa
east africa
Sputnik Africa
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
2023
Agence France Presse (AFP)
Agence France Presse (AFP)
News
en_EN
Sputnik Africa
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
Sputnik Africa
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
Agence France Presse (AFP)
ethiopia, egypt, cairo, abdel fattah el-sisi, abiy ahmed, sudan, north africa, east africa
ethiopia, egypt, cairo, abdel fattah el-sisi, abiy ahmed, sudan, north africa, east africa
Egypt, Ethiopia Agree to Reach Deal on Nile Dam in Four Months
Agence France Presse (AFP)
Egypt and Ethiopia agreed on Thursday to finalise a deal over Ethiopia's mega-dam on the Blue Nile within four months, a breakthrough after years of tensions between the two countries.
The massive $4.2-billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been at the centre of a regional dispute ever since Ethiopia broke ground on the project in 2011, with Egypt fearing it will slash its share of Nile water.
But in
Cairo on Thursday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed "discussed ways of overcoming the current stalemate in negotiations" over the dam, a joint statement published by the Egyptian presidency said.
They agreed "to initiate expedited negotiations to finalise the agreement between Egypt,
Ethiopia and Sudan on the filling" of the dam and its operation within four months, the statement said. The two leaders met on the sidelines of a summit of African leaders from war-torn Sudan's neighbours seeking to end the conflict that has raged there for nearly three months.
Sudan was not involved in the talks between Sisi and Ahmed, but former rebel leader Mubarak Ardol – considered a close ally of the Sudanese army – later tweeted his support for the preliminary agreement on the dam.
"Although we are absent but our full support to this bilateral statement on GERD, Sudan for sure will join soon to make it trilateral agreement without outside mediators," he wrote.
Protracted negotiations over the filling and operation of the
dam since 2011 have failed to bring about an agreement between Ethiopia and its downstream neighbours. Egypt has long viewed the dam as an existential threat, as it relies on the Nile for 97% of its water needs.
The dam is nonetheless central to Ethiopia's development plans, and in February 2022 Addis Ababa announced that it had begun generating hydroelectric energy for the first time.
