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New African Initiative Expected to Resolve GERD Dispute

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed receives President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi, who is mediating the GERD dispute. (Ethiopian government)
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed receives President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi, who is mediating the GERD dispute. (Ethiopian government)
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New African Initiative Expected to Resolve GERD Dispute

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed receives President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi, who is mediating the GERD dispute. (Ethiopian government)
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed receives President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi, who is mediating the GERD dispute. (Ethiopian government)

Congolese President and African Union chair Felix Tshisekedi concluded an African tour aimed at resolving Ethiopia’s dispute with Egypt and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

He is expected to present his proposal to end the deadlock over the filling and operation of Addis Ababa’s giant hydropower dam on the Blue Nile and reach an agreement that serves the interests of the three countries.

Cairo and Khartoum stress the importance of reaching a legally binding agreement on GERD’s filling and operation before Addis Ababa moves forward with the second filling in July.

Addis Ababa informed Tshisekedi of its refusal to expand the mediation and its commitment to African solutions to resolve the dispute through negotiations.

According to a statement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office, he insisted on Ethiopia’s position that the dam is a “symbol of cooperation and mutual development” and not aimed at harming the two downstream countries.

Ahmed pointed to Addis Ababa’s willingness to reach an agreement that serves all relevant parties in line with the Declaration of Principles signed in 2015.

He stressed his country’s commitment to the AU-sponsored talks and solutions under Tshisekedi’s leadership.

Cairo and Khartoum demand forming an international quartet led by the Democratic Republic of Congo, and including the AU, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, to reach a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations.

According to informed sources, Tshisekedi presented an initiative to bring together the three disputed parties to the table of discussions again and reach an agreement before the second filling.

The last round of failed talks between the three countries was held in April in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

On Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi voiced concern about the ongoing crisis with Ethiopia.

He said the negotiations are “worrisome” and need “patience,” urging his people to trust the political leadership. He also reassured them that Cairo will not undermine its water rights.

Cairo considers the dam an “existential issue” and has repeatedly stressed that it will not allow its water interests to be harmed.

Addis Ababa finished in July 2020 the first phase of filling the reservoir, in preparation for its operation, achieving its target of 4.9 billion cubic meters. This year, it targets filling an additional 13.5 billion cubic meters.

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Arab World

Is Hamas Counting on Iran Talks to Resolve the Disarmament Crisis?

Palestinians inspect damage after an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Monday (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect damage after an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Monday (Reuters)
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Is Hamas Counting on Iran Talks to Resolve the Disarmament Crisis?

Palestinians inspect damage after an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Monday (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect damage after an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Monday (Reuters)

As Iranian officials link any halt in fighting with the US and Israel to all fronts of the so-called “axis of resistance,” with a focus on Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza are negotiating a disarmament plan while pushing to retain part of their arsenal.

Israel and the United States insist on full disarmament. The al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, reject that demand.

A two-week ceasefire announced by Washington and Tehran, meant to pave the way for a final deal, has raised questions over whether Hamas will use it to delay or reshape disarmament.

Field sources in Hamas and other factions say they fear Israel could escalate again in Gaza, increasing targeted killings and possibly striking new targets, whether the war with Iran ends temporarily or permanently.

Two field sources from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said there are signs of Israeli escalation, but without large-scale ground operations, adding that factions are on heightened alert.

Limited reliance

A senior Hamas official said the group’s stance is rooted in “national constants,” including keeping its weapons to deter any aggression, a duty it cannot abandon.

He described Iran’s call to link all fronts as “important,” but said Hamas does not fully rely on it and sees no such option for now. Israel and the United States, he said, have worked for more than two years to separate the fronts.

Three Hamas sources said the group had previously counted on linking fronts, during talks on Lebanon and Yemen and during the 12-day war on Iran in June 2025, but “circumstances imposed a different reality.”

A Hamas source in Gaza said tying Gaza talks to other fronts had failed before, leaving no clear reliance on that approach now.

He added Iran’s position may relate more to Lebanon than Gaza, stressing that relying on it is misplaced, as Israel and the US would reject it, as they have before.

“What Hamas is relying on now is its own position, alongside the Palestinian factions, as it enters the most difficult phase of negotiations,” he said.

Two Hamas sources said the group’s strategy is to remove any pretext for Israel to resume the war, while rejecting proposals from the “Board of Peace” or mediators as fixed terms without amendments.

Core demands

Hamas and other factions said they had told mediators in a unified position that they want “full Israeli commitment” to the first phase before moving to the second, including the issue of weapons.

They also demand that reconstruction and aid not be tied to other files, a full Israeli withdrawal, a complete halt to violations, guarantees against interference in Palestinian political affairs, particularly governance in Gaza, and an end to restrictions on movement through the Rafah crossing and on the entry of goods.

New meetings between Hamas and mediators are expected early next week as disarmament talks continue.

A senior Hamas delegation met in Cairo about a week ago with Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza at the “Board of Peace,” for the second time in two weeks.

The group’s leadership also met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this week on the same issue.

Arab World

Lebanon Rejects Iran Negotiating on Its Behalf

People gather at the scene of an Israeli airstrike in the Corniche al-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon 08 April 2026. (EPA)
People gather at the scene of an Israeli airstrike in the Corniche al-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon 08 April 2026. (EPA)
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Lebanon Rejects Iran Negotiating on Its Behalf

People gather at the scene of an Israeli airstrike in the Corniche al-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon 08 April 2026. (EPA)
People gather at the scene of an Israeli airstrike in the Corniche al-Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon 08 April 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon was left outside contacts that produced a US-Iran ceasefire deal, despite reports it would be included and moves by Iran and Hezbollah suggesting otherwise.

Hezbollah halted its military operations before the deal was announced early on Wednesday, while Lebanese officials scrambled to contact countries involved in the issue to clarify the situation.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon would not accept anyone negotiating on its behalf.

President Joseph Aoun welcomed the US-Iran announcement of a 15-day ceasefire and praised efforts by all parties that helped secure the agreement, particularly Pakistan, Egypt, and Türkiye.

He said he hoped it would mark a first step toward a final, comprehensive deal that addresses the drivers of conflict in the region, safeguarding the sovereignty of all states.

Aoun said violence was not an effective means to resolve disputes and that governments should work to ensure a free and dignified life for their people, not push them toward futile and needless death.

He added that the Lebanese state would continue efforts to ensure any regional calm extends to Lebanon on a firm and lasting basis.

Aoun affirmed that the efforts are in line with principles agreed upon by the Lebanese: full sovereignty over all territory, liberation from any occupation, and the exclusive right to wage war, maintain peace, and use legitimate force, resting with constitutional institutions alone.

Responsibility for any negotiations to secure Lebanon’s national interest lies solely with the Lebanese state, he said.

Berri: Lebanon included

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon was covered by the ceasefire agreement with Iran, but said Israel had not complied with it across Lebanon so far, in breach of the deal.

Berri said the agreement clearly included Lebanon and that this was what should be implemented. He said he had contacted the Pakistani side to inform it of Tel Aviv’s failure to abide by the ceasefire and asked it to engage the United States to pressure Israel.

He said he remained in contact with several parties involved and had received assurances that Lebanon was part of the agreement, though he did not rule out that Israel could seek to “undermine this agreement as the party most harmed by it.”

Salam: The state alone negotiates

In his first comment on the ceasefire and the debate over whether Lebanon was included, Salam said: “No one negotiates over Lebanon except the Lebanese state.”

He declined to elaborate on ongoing contacts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, saying only that the state was carrying out its duties and mobilizing all its capabilities to pull the country out of a crisis imposed on it.

“With the announcement of an agreement between the US and Iran, through appreciated Pakistani efforts, we are intensifying our contacts and our political and diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon,” said Salam.

“I also stress that no one negotiates in the name of Lebanon except the Lebanese state, through its constitutional institutions, in a way that safeguards its sovereignty and the interests of its people,” he added.

Foreign Ministry: One voice

For its part, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the announcement of the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US as a step toward de-escalation and regional stability, but stressed that no party has the right to negotiate on the country’s behalf.

“Lebanon unequivocally affirms that it speaks with one voice — its own — and that no party has the right to negotiate on its behalf except the Lebanese state,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Any such action constitutes a direct violation of its sovereignty and national decision-making,” it added, noting that Lebanon has previously announced its readiness for direct negotiations with Israel, with civilian participation and under international auspices.

The ministry reiterated that Lebanon’s sovereignty is indivisible and not negotiable, and that its national choices, security, and political future are determined exclusively by its constitutional institutions, free from any external interference.

Arab World

Iran Guards Threaten Response if Israel Does Not Cease Lebanon ‘Aggression’

First responders work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)
First responders work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Guards Threaten Response if Israel Does Not Cease Lebanon ‘Aggression’

First responders work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)
First responders work at the site of an Israeli airstrike that struck an apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Wednesday they would respond if Israel did not cease attacks on Lebanon as deadly strikes killed hundreds of people a day after a ceasefire was agreed between the United States and Iran.

"We issue a firm warning to the United States, which violates treaties, and to its Zionist ally, its executioner: if the aggression against beloved Lebanon does not cease immediately, we will fulfil our duty and deliver a response," the Guards said in a statement carried on state TV, using a reference to Israel.

Israel says the US-Iran truce does not include Lebanon, which was drawn into the war after Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel.

Israeli strikes hit several dense commercial and residential areas in central Beirut without warning on Wednesday afternoon, hours after the ceasefire was announced. Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 250 people were killed and 700 were wounded.

US President Donald Trump told PBS News Hour that Lebanon was not included in the deal because of Hezbollah. When asked about Israel’s latest strikes, he said, "That’s a separate skirmish."