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Tag: Nile dam

  • Sudan and Ethiopia ‘in agreement’ on Nile dam

    Sudan and Ethiopia ‘in agreement’ on Nile dam

    Sudan’s military leader says “Sudan and Ethiopia are in agreement on all matters regarding” the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd), state-run news agency Suna has reported.

    Speaking when he met visiting Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Khartoum on Thursday, Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan stressed the need to strengthen bilateral relations between Sudan and Ethiopia.

    Mr Abiy said that the Nile dam would “not harm Sudan’s interests but rather will benefit Khartoum in the electricity sector”.

    On 11 January, Sudanese and Egyptian foreign ministers agreed to “continue consultations” regarding the Ethiopian dam.

    Addis Ababa, Khartoum and Egypt have been embroiled in a long dispute over the dam, which Sudan and Cairo fear would reduce their shares of water from the River Nile.

    Source: BBC

  • Talks on Nile giant dam dispute to resume

    Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt are to resume talks over Ethiopia’s controversial $4bn (£3.2bn) dam on the Nile.

    Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, tweeted that water ministers from the three countries will attempt to reach what he called a win-win solution.

    No date has been set for the resumption of talks.

    The dam is close to Ethiopia’s border with Sudan. Egypt, which relies on the Nile for 90% of its fresh water, views its as an existential threat.

    In March, Ethiopia pulled out of US-mediated talks, accusing the US of overstepping the role of neutral observer by saying that the dam should not be completed without an agreement.

    Construction of the dam began in 2011.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Talks to resume over Ethiopia’s mega-dam

    The latest talks to resolve the dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt over the future of a giant hydropower project on the River Nile are due to resume in Washington DC later on Monday.

    Ethiopia’s mega-dam has caused a row with Egypt which some fear could lead to war, and the US is now helping to mediate.

    Egypt fears the project will allow Ethiopia to control the flow of the Nile which Egypt relies on for 90% of its water.

    Read:Nile dam dispute: Egypt needs water, Ethiopia seeks electricity, Sudan wants both

    At the center of the dispute is the speed with which Ethiopia fills the mega-dam.

    This will affect the flow downstream as the longer it takes to fill the reservoir the less impact there will be on the level of the river.

    Ethiopia wants to do it in six years but Egypt has proposed a longer period.

    The latest round of talks, last week, ended in deadlock.

    Read:Troubled waters for Egypt as Ethiopia pushes Nile dam

    Last year a deadline of 15 January was set to solve the long-standing impasse.

    The next step will be for the water ministers, along with their countries’ foreign ministers, to try and come to a deal before the deadline.

    If they still can’t agree by 15 January, the negotiators will request another mediator, or refer the matter to the heads of states.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan to try to resolve dam dispute in Jan. 13 Washington meeting -statement

    The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan plan to meet in Washington on Jan. 13 to try to finalize an agreement to resolve their dispute over a massive dam project on the Nile River in Ethiopia, according to a joint statement issued by the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday.

    Read:Nile dam dispute: Egypt needs water, Ethiopia seeks electricity, Sudan wants both

    The statement was issued after the three ministers met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and World Bank President David Malpass to work out differences over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the second such meeting since early November.

    Source: af.reuters.com

  • ‘Agreement reached’ on Ethiopia massive dam

    Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have reached “an agreement” to work together to resolve the controversial filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam along the River Nile, the three countries said in a joint statement

    The US hosted the foreign ministers of the three nations to try and resolve the long running diplomatic row on the construction of the massive dam project being built in northern Ethiopia.

    Ethiopia is about 70% through with building the dam and insists no one can stop the project, but Egypt is worried about the impact on its water supplies and how much water will be used by Sudan.

    Read:Egypt, Ethiopia disagree as talks over Nile dam project resume

    On completion, the $4bn (£3bn) project would be Africa’s largest hydroelectric power station but it has been beset by delays and disputes.

    The joint statement released after meeting said: “The ministers also agreed to work toward completion of an agreement by 15 January, 2020, and would attend two meetings in Washington, DC on 9 December, 2019 and 13 January, 2020, to assess and support progress.”

    “If an agreement is not reached by 15 January, 2020, the foreign ministers agree that Article 10 of the 2015 Declaration of Principles will be invoked,” the statement said.

    Read:Nile dam dispute: Egypt needs water, Ethiopia seeks electricity, Sudan wants both

    Article 10 says: “Three countries will settle disputes, arising out of the interpretation or implementation of this agreement, amicably through consultation or negotiation in accordance with the principle of good faith.”

    The meeting agreed that the US and the World Bank would attend future negotiations as observers.

    President Trump tweeted a photo of his meeting with the ministers:

    Source: bbc.com