This archive report was first published on 4 July 2020.
On June 29, Ethiopia strongly opposed arbitration by the United Nations Security Council during a video conference, marking a significant development in the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
As a result, the matter has now moved to the African Union for resolution, with Egypt taking the issue to the UN Security Council in the first place.
However, experts doubt an agreement can be reached, citing Ethiopia's opposition to arbitration and the African Union's role in mediating the dispute.
According to Taye Atske-Selassie, Ethiopia's Permanent Representative to the UN, the involvement of the Security Council risks hardening positions and making compromise even more difficult.
'The involvement of the Security Council on this issue risks hardening positions and making compromise even more difficult. Instead of pronouncing itself on this matter, the Council should defer to the African Union and encourage the three countries to return to the tripartite negotiations as the only means to finding an amicable solution to the remaining outstanding issues,' said Mr Atske-Selassie.
Despite Ethiopia's opposition, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peace Building Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, expressed hope that Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan will persevere with efforts to achieve an agreement on the GERD that is beneficial to all.
As of June 27, Ethiopia's plan of filling the dam remains on course, despite a decision by the Bureau of the Assembly of the AU to delay it. The Bureau held an Extraordinary meeting under the chairmanship of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and later announced that Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia had agreed to resume negotiations and resolve the remaining issues through tripartite consultations.
