Khartoum Calls for Internationalizing GERD Talks

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Reuters file photo
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Reuters file photo
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Khartoum Calls for Internationalizing GERD Talks

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Reuters file photo
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Reuters file photo

Sudan has toughened its rhetoric in the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that Addis Ababa is constructing on the Blue Nile.

It called for international mediators to resolve the dispute, including the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and the United States.

Sudanese Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasser Abbas urged parties to the negotiations on the dam to consider GERD a means for regional cooperation rather than political tension between Khartoum, Addis Ababa and Cairo.

The unilateral second filling of the dam in July represents a “direct threat” to Sudan’s national security, SUNA quoted Abbas as saying on Monday. He hoped for a binding agreement between the three countries before the deadline.

He said the filling of GERD threatens electricity generation from Sudan’s Merowe Dam and Roseires Dam, as well as the safety of the Roseires Dam and of 20 million Sudanese living downstream, he stressed.

The Irrigation Ministry has taken several technical and diplomatic precautionary measures to face the possible filling of the mega dam, Abbas noted.

He affirmed that his country is currently working on bolstering the AU mediation and include the UN, EU, and the US in the talks as mediators.

Cairo and Khartoum stress the need to reach a binding and comprehensive agreement that guarantees the rights and interests of the three countries and includes a mechanism for settling disputes on the filling and operation of the dam.

Ethiopia refused to sign a final agreement on the rules of filling and operating the dam earlier in 2020, under the mediation of the US and World Bank, prompting Khartoum to boycott the tripartite talks on January 10.



Gaza Rescuers Say Israeli Strikes Kill 24 Palestinians

A boy walks past a destroyed building in the aftermath of an Israeli strike at Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on January 15, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
A boy walks past a destroyed building in the aftermath of an Israeli strike at Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on January 15, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
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Gaza Rescuers Say Israeli Strikes Kill 24 Palestinians

A boy walks past a destroyed building in the aftermath of an Israeli strike at Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on January 15, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
A boy walks past a destroyed building in the aftermath of an Israeli strike at Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on January 15, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

Gaza's civil defense agency said on Wednesday that Israeli strikes killed at least 24 people across the Palestinian territory, with Israel's military saying it had targeted Hamas militants overnight.

The latest violence, following more than 15 months of war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, comes as truce mediator Qatar said negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal were in their "final stages”

The civil defense agency said in a statement that 11 bodies were brought to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip, after Israel struck a family home in Deir el-Balah city during the night.

A seven-year-old boy and three teenagers were among the dead, the agency said.

A separate strike targeted a school building used as shelter for war-displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, killing seven people and injuring several others, the civil defense agency said.

A third strike at dawn hit a house in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, killing six people and injuring seven, the agency added.

The Israeli military confirmed that its forces had carried out multiple strikes overnight in Gaza, saying in a statement that they were "precise" and targeted "terrorist operatives.”

Over the past 24 hours, the military said it had struck more than 50 targets across the Gaza Strip.

Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 46,707 Palestinians and wounded 110,265 since Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said on Wednesday.