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Image posted, Reuters
The African Union has mediated the current negotiations
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will resume negotiations on Tuesday, mediated by the African Union, on the rules for the filling and operation of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which were suspended two months ago due to differences.
This comes days after US President Donald Trump warned that the dam crisis could lead to military movements.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the current president of the African Union, said the resumption of the talks demonstrated the confidence of the three countries in the EU-led negotiations.
The Egyptian Irrigation Ministry announced that it will participate in the meeting, in order to “relaunch the negotiations”, which was also confirmed by Sudan’s Water Minister, who made it clear that “the previous negotiation methods must change.”
The three countries, in the presence of representatives of the African Union, the European Union and the United States, are analyzing the possibility of reaching a fair, binding and lasting agreement regarding the filling and operation of the dam and being calm about the level of safety in it, amid disagreements about the amount of water that flows from the dam annually, especially during droughts, in addition to the mechanism for filling its reservoir and coordination. With the rest of the dams in the two downstream countries.
Egyptian Irrigation Ministry spokesman Mohamed El Sebaei said in a press release that Tuesday’s session will be attended by the Irrigation and Foreign Ministers, or their representatives.
The negotiation sessions were suspended at the end of last August due to what Egypt and Sudan considered “Ethiopia’s intransigence” regarding proposals related to the operation and filling mechanism of the Renaissance Dam, after Addis Ababa unilaterally initiated the stage of water storage in the dam lake in the first week of August. .
What did the president of the United States say about the dam?
“It is a very dangerous situation because Egypt will not be able to live this way … and they will end up blowing up the dam,” Trump told reporters on Friday.
Image posted, @realDonaldTrump
American mediation did not work
Following this statement, Ethiopia accused Trump of inciting “war.”
Foreign Minister Guido Andargachu summoned US Ambassador Michael Raynor to clarify Trump’s statement on the long-standing delicate dispute over the waters of the Nile between Ethiopia and the downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan.
The ministry said that “the incitement of the current US president to the war between Ethiopia and Egypt does not reflect the long-term partnership and strategic alliance between Ethiopia and the United States, and is also unacceptable under international law governing relations between countries.” .
On Saturday, the office of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed defended the dam, saying Addis Ababa was committed to the African Union-led talks, which it said had made “significant progress”.
US mediation efforts between the three countries earlier this year failed after Ethiopia accused the US of favoring Egypt.
How dangerous is the dam in Egypt and Sudan?
Sudan and Egypt fear the dam will dry up their water resources.
Egypt relies on the Nile River for approximately 97 percent of its irrigation and drinking water. The Renaissance dam is a threat to his life, while Ethiopia believes the project is necessary to supply and develop electricity.
Last month, the United States announced the suspension of part of its financial aid to Ethiopia, pointing to the lack of progress in the talks it had mediated, and the “unilateral decision of Addis Ababa” to begin filling the reservoir of the dam.
