What failure of Nile dam talks means for Egypt and Ethiopia
Years of negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam have failed to yield an agreement, leading to tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia amid water issues related to climate change.
Egypt and Ethiopia announced on Tuesday that the current negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), also known as Nile dam, ended without an agreement, potentially escalating tensions over the longstanding issue.
Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said in a Facebook post that the fourth and final round of the talks with Ethiopia and Sudan concluded in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. The ministry blamed Ethiopia for the failure to reach a deal, referencing the east African country’s “persistent refusal” to accept any technical or legal compromises that would protect the involved countries’ interests.
The ministry further accused Ethiopia of negotiating in bad faith, saying Abbis Ababa is “exploiting the negotiation process as a cover to solidify a fait accompli on the ground” and negotiating for the “purpose of obtaining an instrument of approval from the downstream countries of an unregulated and absolute Ethiopian control of the Blue Nile.”
#BreakingNews #Egypt has announced that the fourth and final round of negotiations on the Ethiopian Dam (GERD) was unsuccessful due to #Ethiopia's persistent refusal.#Egypt affirms that it reserves its right to defend its water and national security in the event of harm. pic.twitter.com/zOJWoIMqQ4
— Mohammed Magdy (@DMagdy92) December 19, 2023
Later, Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement confirming the talks ended. Ethiopia said it "keenly engaged" with Egypt and Sudan during the talks and that the deliberations are "not meant to foreclose Ethiopia's rights on the utilization of the waters of the Nile."
