This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
On June 17, 2020, Sudan proposed a direct meeting between the heads of state of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to resolve the ongoing dispute over the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Ethiopia.
The proposal comes as Ethiopia prepares to start filling the dam's reservoir from next month, despite concerns from Egypt and Sudan that the dam could reduce the amount of water reaching their countries.
Hisham Kahin, a member of the Sudanese Legal Committee in the GERD negotiations, stated that Ethiopia had withdrawn its commitment to some of the legal aspects earlier agreed upon, leaving a solution to the spat uncertain.
“Ethiopia retracted its legal commitment and converted it to non-binding guidelines that could be modified, and this is considered dangerous and affects the agreement,” Hisham said in Khartoum.
The Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation stated that there had been “conceptual differences” between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan on a number of issues related to the Renaissance Dam, including the extent of the obligatory agreement, how to resolve disputes, and linking this agreement to other previous pacts.
Sudanese Minister for Irrigation and Water Resources Yasir Abbas emphasized that Khartoum stands for fair and reasonable use of the water without harming other countries.
The Nile, the world’s longest river, is a lifeline to communities in Sudan and Egypt. However, Ethiopia has argued that it retains sovereign right to utilize the resources.
