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Agreement Reached to Resume GERD Negotiations

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River in Guba, northwest Ethiopia. (AFP)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River in Guba, northwest Ethiopia. (AFP)
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Agreement Reached to Resume GERD Negotiations

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River in Guba, northwest Ethiopia. (AFP)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River in Guba, northwest Ethiopia. (AFP)

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed have agreed to resume negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) next week.

Hamdok visited Addis Ababa briefly on Sunday and was accompanied by a high-ranking security and military delegation.

A statement by the Sudanese government said Hamdok held “good” closed-door discussions with his Ethiopian counterpart.

The two officials reached an understanding on various issues that will further augment bilateral cooperation, the statement read.

The last GERD meeting was held on Nov. 21 between Egypt and Ethiopia’s irrigation ministers. Sudan boycotted the talks, calling on the African Union to change the negotiations approach and expand the role of experts.

Both sides also called for an emergency meeting of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an East African regional bloc that Hamdok currently chairs.

IGAD is an eight-country trade bloc in Africa that includes Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan Uganda, South Sudan and Eritrea.

The statement did not reveal the purpose for calling for the meeting, but parties will most likely discuss the developments in Ethiopia and the humanitarian and security implications of the Tigray conflict on the region.

In an interview with the local radio station, Beladi, Sudan government spokesperson, Minister of Culture and Information Faisal Mohamed Salih described Sudanese-Ethiopian relations as “good” despite some disputes.

Ethiopia has rebuffed offers to mediate in the Tigray conflict, including from the African Union, and Sudan, he noted, affirming that contacts between both countries has not stopped.

Fighting erupted on Nov. 4 between Ethiopia’s government and the then-governing party in Tigray, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

According to Salih, the Sudanese government has implemented an urgent emergency plan, deployed its forces on the borders with Ethiopia to observe the situation and has taken all humanitarian and military precautions to avert any spillover into Sudan.

Abiy’s government declared victory over the TPLF after its forces took control of the regional capital, Mekelle, on Nov. 29. The TPLF has said it was continuing to fight from mountains surrounding Mekelle.

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Arab World

Sudan Doctors’ Union: War Death Toll Tops 40,000

A displaced Sudanese child from Darfur receives treatment at a refugee hospital in eastern Chad. (EPA)
A displaced Sudanese child from Darfur receives treatment at a refugee hospital in eastern Chad. (EPA)
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Sudan Doctors’ Union: War Death Toll Tops 40,000

A displaced Sudanese child from Darfur receives treatment at a refugee hospital in eastern Chad. (EPA)
A displaced Sudanese child from Darfur receives treatment at a refugee hospital in eastern Chad. (EPA)

Over 40,000 people have died in Sudan’s ongoing conflict between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April last year, according to Ahmed Abbas, spokesperson for the independent Sudan Doctors’ Union.

Abbas believes the actual number could be higher, as many deaths go unreported and bodies remain unaccounted for.

Accurate casualty counts are challenging, but UN and human rights estimates suggest around 12,000 deaths by late December.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Abbas broke down the numbers: 20,000 killed in direct clashes, 16,000 due to lack of medical care and starvation, and around 4,000 in El Fasher, North Darfur.

A UN report from January estimated 10,000 to 15,000 deaths in Geneina, West Darfur.

Abbas described Sudan’s health system as “collapsed,” worsening with the rainy season and outbreaks of malaria, dengue, measles and other diseases.

He noted that “80% of health services are non-functional, and the rest lack essential supplies and medications amid ongoing water and electricity outages.”

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has completely destroyed 28 hospitals and health centers, and forced the evacuation of 22 medical facilities, some now occupied by warring forces, according to Abbas.

Abbas described the health situation in El Fasher and nearby areas as “extremely critical” due to a siege by the RSF. He warned that more civilians will die without urgent help.

Since fighting began in El Fasher in May, over 4,000 people have been killed and more than 5,000 injured, he revealed, adding that the actual toll is likely higher.

Last week, 13,000 civilians fled El Fasher due to violence, including killings, rapes, and looting. Abbas said the overall situation in Darfur is now worse than during the 2003 crisis, with a full-scale humanitarian disaster developing.

Abbas also reported hundreds of rapes of women and girls, noting that many survivors have not come forward due to fear, social stigma, or lack of treatment centers.

Salima Ishaq, director of Sudan's Combating Violence Against Women Unit, documented 191 cases of sexual violence since the war began, with the highest rates in RSF-controlled areas.

Abbas revealed that over 58 doctors have been killed in the conflict, with many others arrested, tortured, or interrogated.

Attacks on medical workers in conflict-ridden Sudan have forced some aid organizations to leave or stop operations in regions like Gezira and El Fasher, he added.

Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) is among those affected.

The RSF has blocked humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in some areas under its control, while a d arriving via Port Sudan has not been distributed to those in need and instead ended up on the black market, Abbas added.

He called on the international and regional communities to coordinate aid distribution with medical organizations and local service committees, and to establish aid centers in neighboring countries to ensure help reaches those who need it most.