Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan hope for Nile dam deal in coming weeks

Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt, on June 27, reportedly said that they were hopeful that the African Union (AU) could help them broker a deal to end a decade long dispute over water supplies within the coming two or three weeks. Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has caused concerns of its downstream neighbour Egypt and Sudan. Meanwhile, Ethiopia has said it would fill the reservoir within a few weeks, providing enough time for the talks to be concluded.

Read: Sudan Warns Window Closing In Nile Dam Dispute, Asks UN Help

Decades of discussions have left the three nations in disagreement on the way Ethiopia would operate the dam and fill its reservoir while protecting Egypt's scarce water supply from the Nile. Ethiopian water minister Seleshi Bekele, while speaking to international media reporters said consensus had been reached to finalise a deal within two to three weeks, a day after leaders from the three countries, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who chairs the AU, held an online summit.

Read: Egypt, Sudan: Ethiopia Won't Fill Disputed Dam Before Accord

However, Billene Seyoum, a spokeswoman for Ethiopia’s prime minister, said that in Friday’s agreement there was “no divergence from Ethiopia’s original position of filling the dam”. The committee Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said in a separate statement that a majority of issues in the talks had been resolved adding that it would upload the progress in a week.

Sudan urges UN intervention

Sudan has joined Egypt in asking the U.N. Security Council to intervene in a dispute over Ethiopia’s newly built hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile, warning that the window for the three countries to reach an agreement “is closing by the hour.” Egypt, which relies on the Nile for more than 90 per cent of its water supplies, fears a devastating impact if the dam is operated without taking its needs into account. Sudan, which also largely depends on the Nile for water, has been caught between the competing interests.

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(With inputs from agencies)

Image credits: AP