(3 minutes read)
· Foreign ministers from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan kicked off negotiations in Kinshasa yesterday (4th April 2021) over Addis Ababa’s contested Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, according to reliable sources
· Egypt and Sudan this month pitched for re-launching negotiations to settle the disputed dam. The people of all three countries should have a right to water, food and health, Félix Tshisekedi said
· The US ambassador to the DR Congo, Mike Hammer, attended the start of the talks
Foreign ministers from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan kicked off negotiations in Kinshasa yesterday (4th April 2021) over Addis Ababa’s contested Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, according to reliable sources. The dispute so far evaded a negotiated settlement. This initiative was taken by President of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Félix Tshisekedi — who became chairman of the African Union in February. He urged the foreign ministers of three countries to launch a new dynamic process. However, the African Union Chairman stressed that the human dimension must be at the heart of these tripartite negotiations, while quoting that Africans should find solutions for African problems
Egypt and Sudan this month pitched for re-launching negotiations to settle the disputed dam. The people of all three countries should have a right to water, food and health, Félix Tshisekedi said. The US ambassador to the DR Congo, Mike Hammer, attended the start of the talks.
Ethiopia says hydroelectric power produced by the GERD will be vital to meet the energy needs of its 110 million people in Egypt as also its neighboring countries, while Egypt, sees the dam as an existential threat since it depends on the Nile for about 97%of its irrigation and drinking water, Sudan’s fear is that its own dams will be compromised if Ethiopia proceeds with filling the GERD before a deal is reached.
