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Sudan Says Return to GERD Negotiations Subject to Change in Method

Sudan’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasir Abbas takes part in a trilateral meeting to resume negotiations on the GERD, in Khartoum, Sudan on Dec. 21, 2019. (AFP)
Sudan’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasir Abbas takes part in a trilateral meeting to resume negotiations on the GERD, in Khartoum, Sudan on Dec. 21, 2019. (AFP)
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Sudan Says Return to GERD Negotiations Subject to Change in Method

Sudan’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasir Abbas takes part in a trilateral meeting to resume negotiations on the GERD, in Khartoum, Sudan on Dec. 21, 2019. (AFP)
Sudan’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasir Abbas takes part in a trilateral meeting to resume negotiations on the GERD, in Khartoum, Sudan on Dec. 21, 2019. (AFP)

Sudan is unwilling to return to the Grand Renaissance Ethiopian Dam (GERD) negotiations with the old method, led by the African Union (AU).

Sudan’s Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Yasir Abbas urged a change in the negotiating method, saying: “Sudan is not ready to enter into talks with Ethiopia in the same previous way because it means buying time.”

Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum, Abbas said Khartoum demands a change in the AU’s negotiations methodology, developing the role of observers into mediators, and forming an international mediation quartet made up of the AU, United Nations, European Union, and US.

He asserted Sudan’s demand, which was proposed in Kinshasa in April, and backed by Egypt.

Abbas also stressed that exchanging information about filling and operating the GERD “is an absolute necessity” and that a legally binding agreement in this regard “must be signed.”

The official affirmed that the GERD could be beneficial to Sudan provided that information is exchanged with Sudanese officials managing the Roseires Dam under a legally binding agreement.

The GERD will completely change the flow of the Blue Nile by flattening its hydrograph, and with its gigantic size, it “poses substantial threats to Sudan if it is not properly designed, constructed, filled and operated,” he continued.

Abbas reiterated his government’s commitment to serious negotiations as the only way to resolve the dispute over the dam.

“When we say the Roseires Dam, we mean that the entire water system from Khartoum to Atbara will be affected, as well as drinking water plants. It will go out of service if the water level drops to less than 90 million cubic meters.”

The official ruled out Sudan’s signing of a bilateral agreement with Ethiopia, saying the Blue Nile is an international river shared by countries.

“Sudan will benefit from the GERD in terms of generating electricity and reducing silt and floods, but only on the condition that there is a binding tripartite agreement,” said Abbas.

He reiterated that the three parties agreed on 90 percent of the contentious issues, which are primarily technical, adding that the remaining 10 percent are related to the binding legal agreement, which defines conflict resolution mechanisms in case of disagreement.

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Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
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Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam led a high-level ministerial delegation to Syria on Monday for talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the most significant diplomatic visit between the two countries since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December.

"My visit to Damascus today aims to open a new page in the history of relations between the two countries, based on mutual respect, restoring trust, good neighborliness," Salam said in a statement on X.

At the center of discussions was implementing a March 28 agreement signed in Saudi Arabia by the Syrian and Lebanese defense ministers to demarcate land and sea borders and improve coordination on border security issues, Salam said in the statement.

The Lebanese-Syrian border witnessed deadly clashes earlier this year and years of unrest in the frontier regions, which have been plagued by weapons and illicit drug smuggling through illegal crossings.

During Monday’s meeting, Salam and Sharaa agreed to form a joint ministerial committee to oversee the implementation of the border agreement, close illegal crossings and suppress smuggling activity along the border.

The border area, especially near Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Syria’s Qusayr region, has long been a corridor for illicit trade, arms trafficking, and the movement of fighters — including Hezbollah fighters who backed the Assad government during Syria’s 14-year civil war.

Hezbollah has been significantly weakened in its recent war with Israel and since Assad's ousting, it lost several key smuggling routes it once relied on for weapons transfers.

Lebanon also pressed Syria to provide clarity on the fate of thousands of Lebanese nationals who were forcibly disappeared or imprisoned in Syrian jails in the 1980s and 1990s, during Syria’s nearly 30-year military presence in Lebanon. Human rights groups have long documented the lack of accountability and transparency regarding these cases, with families of the missing holding regular demonstrations in Beirut demanding answers.

Syrian officials for their part raised the issue of Syrian nationals detained in Lebanese prisons, Salam said. Many of the detainees were arrested for illegal entry or alleged involvement in militant activity. Rights advocates in both countries have criticized the lack of due process in many of these cases and the poor conditions inside detention facilities.

Lebanon pledged to hand over people implicated in crimes committed by the Assad government and security forces, many of whom are believed to have fled to Lebanon after the government’s collapse, if found on Lebanese soil, a ministerial source told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly comment.

In return, Lebanese officials requested the extradition of Syrians wanted in Lebanese courts for high-profile political assassinations, "most notably those involved in the bombing of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques, those convicted of assassinating President Bashir Gemayel, and other crimes for which the Assad regime is accused," Salam said.

For decades, Lebanon witnessed a long series of politically motivated assassinations targeting journalists, politicians and security officials, particularly those opposed to Syrian influence. The 2013 twin bombings of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques in Tripoli in northern Lebanon killed more than 40 people and intensified sectarian tensions already heightened by the spillover from the Syrian war.

Syria has never officially acknowledged involvement in any of Lebanon’s political assassinations.

Salam said he also pushed for renewed cooperation on the return of Syrian refugees.

Lebanese government officials estimate the country hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, of whom about 755,000 are officially registered with the UN refugee agency, or UNHCR, making it the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

While Lebanese authorities have long urged the international community to support large-scale repatriation efforts, human rights organizations have cautioned against forced returns, citing ongoing security concerns and a lack of guarantees in Syria.

Since the fall of Assad in December, an estimated 400,000 refugees have returned to Syria from neighboring countries, according to UNHCR, with about half of them coming from Lebanon, but many are hesitant to return because of the dire economic situation and fears of continuing instability in Syria.