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KHARTOUM, Sudan
Amid regional tension over the project, countries along the Nile must reach a legally binding agreement on the filling and operations of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), or Hidase dam, according to the president of Egypt
Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi made the remarks on Saturday night during an official visit to the South Sudanese capital Juba to meet with his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir, according to Egyptian media.
During their meeting, the leaders discussed the issue of strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the field of water resources and irrigation.
They also discussed joint efforts to maximize the use of the Nile River’s resources.
Underlining that the Nile is the lifeblood of the peoples of the region, Sisi said that the river should be a source of cooperation and development for the countries of the region.
Ethiopia began construction of the more than $ 5 billion hydroelectric dam project in 2011, triggering a protracted diplomatic battle with Egypt, which had enjoyed thousands of years of hegemony on the Nile.
Although Ethiopia contributes 85% of the Nile’s waters, a 1959 agreement between Sudan and Egypt granted 55.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) to Egypt and 18.5 bcm annually to Sudan and nothing to Ethiopia.
* Written by Zehra Nur Duz
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