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· Ethiopia said that it would continue to fill the Nile mega-dam, despite protests from neighboring countries-Ethiopia and Sudan, which are worried about their water supply
· Both Egypt and Sudan view the dam as a threat because of their dependence on for agricultural and household purposes
· At the same time, Ethiopia insists on the project since it considers the project is essential for its electricity requirements
Ethiopia said that it would continue to fill the Nile mega-dam, despite protests from neighboring countries-Ethiopia and Sudan, which are worried about their water supply. The dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has been continuing unresolved despite the negotiations. The latest initiative is at the instance of the African Union under the aegis of the now gaining concept: Africans should find solutions to African problems. Since 2011, the dam issue has been a thorny issue among neighbors.
Both Egypt and Sudan view the dam as a threat because of their dependence on agricultural and household purposes. At the same time, Ethiopia insists on the project since it considers the project is essential for its electricity requirements. The latest talk also held in Kinshasa concluded without any ray of hope for the resolution of the problem. Yet, Ethiopian water minister Seleshi Bekele said that his country would continue filling the dam’s massive reservoir during the upcoming rainy season (June –July).
Ethiopia announced in July 2020 that it had hit its target of 4.9 billion cubic metres enough to test the dam’s first two turbines. The country is targeting to store an additional 13.5 billion cubic metres this year. But both Egypt and Sudan want a trilateral agreement on the dam’s operations to be reached before reservoir filling begins, while Ethiopia maintains that filling is a natural part of the dam’s construction. That process, it insists, cannot be postponed.
