GERD: Egypt Adheres to Negotiations, Ethiopia Once Again Proposes to Share Waters

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as it appears in a satellite image taken on July 20, 2020 (AFP)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as it appears in a satellite image taken on July 20, 2020 (AFP)
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GERD: Egypt Adheres to Negotiations, Ethiopia Once Again Proposes to Share Waters

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as it appears in a satellite image taken on July 20, 2020 (AFP)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as it appears in a satellite image taken on July 20, 2020 (AFP)

Ethiopia has once again disputed Egypt’s hegemony over the Blue Nile waters.

It wants a recently formulated final agreement to include sharing the Nile waters, affirming that Egypt receives the biggest share.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew stressed that downstream countries reject Egypt’s hegemony over the use of the Nile waters.

“Ethiopia needs to build the mega-dam and must reflect the realism about the use of the Nile River,” his country’s official press agency quoted him as saying.

GERD is a slogan for all Ethiopians, he noted, expressing pride that his country is working to complete such a mega project with its own capabilities.

Addis Ababa could generate up to 30,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power from the Nile River, the FM stressed, adding that “this tremendous potential will enable the country to deliver electricity to all Ethiopians, expand industrial complexes, and create job opportunities, as well as improving services.”

Meanwhile, Egypt affirmed its adherence to the course of negotiations taking place among Addis Ababa, Cairo, and Khartoum on the rules for filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Spokesman of Egypt's Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed al-Sibai said the African Union (AU)-sponsored talks are ongoing.

He pointed out that the three countries exchanged proposals for the final text of the agreement and chose both “legal and technical representatives from each country to participate in the merging of the three texts.”

Sibai noted that the unified final agreement is expected to be handed over to the AU Chief and South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Friday.

In a statement published on Monday, the spokesman refused to speak about the talks taking place.

Cairo fears the potential negative impact of GERD, which Addis Ababa is constructing on the Nile River, on the flow of its annual share of the Nile’s 55.5 billion cubic meters of water especially that it relies on it for more than 90 percent of its water supplies.

Addis Ababa, however, says the dam is not aimed at harming Egypt or Sudan’s interests, stressing that the main objective is to generate electricity to support its development.



Hamdok Calls for UN-African Union Meeting with Sudanese Warring Parties to Secure Ceasefire

Sudanese Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Facebook)
Sudanese Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Facebook)
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Hamdok Calls for UN-African Union Meeting with Sudanese Warring Parties to Secure Ceasefire

Sudanese Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Facebook)
Sudanese Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Facebook)

Sudanese former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has called for an urgent joint meeting between the UN Security Council, the African Union Peace and Security Council, the Sudanese army, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), allied groups, and key civil actors, in a bid to reach an unconditional ceasefire and humanitarian truce in his country’s war.

In a public address marking the second anniversary of the devastating war between the military and RSF, Hamdok proposed an inclusive summit attended by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), and representatives of civilian forces.

Hamdok’s initiative aims to secure a permanent ceasefire, reach a comprehensive peace agreement, and establish broad consensus on a transitional constitutional framework that revives Sudan’s path toward civilian democratic governance, rooted in the spirit of the December 2018 revolution.

He urged the formation of a fully empowered transitional civilian authority to oversee post-war recovery, reconstruction, and the organization of national elections. He also emphasized the need to begin confidence-building measures, including halting hostile media campaigns and releasing all prisoners and detainees.

Under his “Sudan Peace Appeal,” Hamdok also called for an international donor conference to bridge the humanitarian funding gap and support a Sudanese-led peace process that addresses the root causes of the conflict.

He proposed a three-track approach: humanitarian aid and civilian protection, a ceasefire with permanent security arrangements based on the Jeddah Agreement, and a political dialogue to lay the groundwork for lasting peace.

Moreover, Hamdok urged regional and international stakeholders to refrain from actions that prolong the conflict and to impose a comprehensive arms embargo on all parties. He also proposed forming a Sudanese-led expert task force to assess the war’s destruction and develop a national reconstruction and recovery plan.

The former prime minister warned that continued fighting could turn Sudan into a hub for extremist and terrorist groups. He condemned growing hate speech and atrocities, including massacres and horrific violence, which he said risk transforming the country into a breeding ground for terrorism.

Meanwhile, the army marked the start of the third year of war by announcing military gains against RSF positions in western and southern Omdurman, seizing weapons and killing dozens of fighters. The army claimed it had cleared several strategic areas and was now targeting remaining RSF pockets in Khartoum State.