This archive report was first published on 5 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 been referred to the African Union for resolution, with Egypt taking the issue to the UN Security Council in the first place.
However, experts are skeptical about the chances of an agreement being reached, citing Ethiopia's strong opposition to arbitration by the UN Security Council.
According to Taye Atske-Selassie, Ethiopia's Permanent Representative to the UN, the involvement of the Security Council on this issue 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 the ongoing dispute, Ethiopia's plan to fill the dam remains on course, with the African Union's Bureau delaying the filling process on June 27.
However, Egypt and Sudan announced that Ethiopia had agreed to suspend the filling of the dam to allow negotiations to continue, which Ethiopia refuted through Mr Atske-Selassie.
