Khartoum Announces Deal on Filling Renaissance Dam in 7 Years

The Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project in Ethiopia. (AFP)
The Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project in Ethiopia. (AFP)
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Khartoum Announces Deal on Filling Renaissance Dam in 7 Years

The Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project in Ethiopia. (AFP)
The Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project in Ethiopia. (AFP)

Sudanese Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas said on Sunday that Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have agreed on filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s (GERD) reservoir “over a period of up to seven years.”

The Sudanese official said the two-day talks held on November 15 in Addis Ababa between the three states and in the presence of representatives from the US and the World Bank, made progress on some disputed issues.

He said a breakthrough in the talks was reached over the hydroelectric dam, which has generated much tension between Egypt and Ethiopia over the past few years.

Ethiopia insists the $4 billion hydro-electric barrage is essential for its economic growth given that most of its population still lives without electricity.

Abbas said last week’s negotiations also tackled the “permanent operations of the dam and its effect on the dam systems in Egypt and Sudan.”

While the spokesperson of the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohammed al-Sibai refused to confirm or deny the Sudanese minister’s comments, he told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Addis Ababa talks discussed filling the dam’s reservoir in stages and based on the hydraulic system of the Blue Nile River.

He said that such technique would help prevent any harm to downstream countries.

Representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are set to meet on December 2-3 in Cairo to continue technical talks over outstanding matters.

On Saturday, Ethiopian Ambassador to Egypt Dina Mufti told Asharq Al-Awsat that any misunderstanding between Egypt and Ethiopia should be solved peacefully.

Egypt states that all Nile Valley countries have a right to economic development. However, Cairo insists that this policy should not affect “its interests and rights in the Nile,” particularly that Egypt relies on the river to cover more than 90 percent of its irrigation and drinking water needs.

Meanwhile, the president of the Arab Parliament Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Salami said Sunday he had sent a written message to the Ethiopian prime minister and the head of the Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives announcing the Arab Parliament’s solidarity with Egypt and Sudan in protecting their water security.

In a post on his official Twitter account, Salami stressed the importance of reaching a fair agreement on filling and operating the GERD as soon as possible, and in a way that protects the interests of all parties.



Fire at a Telecom Company in Cairo Injures 14 and Temporarily Disrupts Service

 Smoke rises after a fire erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke rises after a fire erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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Fire at a Telecom Company in Cairo Injures 14 and Temporarily Disrupts Service

 Smoke rises after a fire erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke rises after a fire erupted in a telecommunications building in the Ramses district of downtown Cairo, Egypt July 7, 2025. (Reuters)

A fire engulfed the main telecom company building in downtown Cairo on Monday, injuring at least 14 people and prompting a temporary outage of internet and mobile phone services, officials said.

The 14 injured were taken to nearby hospitals, the Health Ministry said in a statement. A witness told news broadcaster Cairo 24 that two emergency responders suffered burns on their hands.

The fire started on the seventh floor of a landmark 10-story Telecom Egypt building in the Ramses area of Cairo, the governor's office said in a statement.

Ambulances and firetrucks were on site as plumes of dark smoke rose in the downtown. Firefighters put up ladders as firetrucks spewed water to contain the blaze, while security officials cordoned off the area.

The fire broke in an equipment room of Telecom Egypt and led to a temporary disruption of telecom services, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said in a statement. Telecom services were expected to be restored within hours, the authority said. Online payment services were also disrupted.

NetBlocks, a global internet monitor said on X that network data show national connectivity was at 62% of ordinary levels amid reports of the fire at the telecoms datacenter in Cairo.