Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan restart Nile mega-dam talks
- Discussions will involve water ministers from the three countries as well as representatives from African Union, European Union and World Bank
- Previous three-way negotiations failed to produce agreement on controversial hydropower project
Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia kicked off on Sunday the latest round of talks over Addis Ababa’s controversial dam on the Blue Nile, waters critical to the two downstream nations.
The week-long negotiations, held via videoconference, include water ministers from the three countries, as well as representatives from the African Union, European Union and the World Bank.
Previous three-way talks have failed to produce an agreement on the filling and operation of the vast reservoir behind the 145-metre (475-foot) tall hydropower Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Egypt, which depends on the Nile for about 97 per cent of its irrigation and drinking water, sees the dam as an existential threat.
Sudan hopes the dam will help regulate flooding, but has also warned that millions of lives would be at “great risk” if Ethiopia unilaterally fills the dam.