This archive report was first published on 10 January 2020.
Published on January 10, 2020, talks between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have reached a stalemate, with the countries set to convene in Washington on January 13 to resolve their disagreements.
The $4 billion hydroelectric dam, being built by Ethiopia on the Nile, has sparked a diplomatic crisis between Egypt and Ethiopia, with both countries seeing existential threats in each other's positions on the project.
Egypt fears the dam will restrict supplies of already scarce Nile waters, on which its population of over 100 million people is almost entirely dependent. In contrast, Addis Ababa denies the dam will undermine Egypt's access to water and says the project is crucial to its economic development.
According to Egyptian Water Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty, the countries did not reach an agreement during the two-day talks in Addis Ababa, but achieved clarity on all issues, including the filling of the dam. He expressed hope that a deal would be reached next week in Washington.
However, Ethiopian Water Minister Sileshi Bekele accused Egypt of coming to the talks with no intention of reaching a deal, stating that Ethiopia will start filling the dam by July, despite Egypt's request for a 12-21 year filling period.
