Yesterday, Sudan's prime minister Abdalla Hamdok was in talks with the Egyptian president in Cairo. Both nations seek to build a united front in the ongoing dispute over the controversial dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi agreed that both governments should ‘work closely at this critical moment’ until international and regional players can be mobilised to help mediate a solution to the water dispute with Ethiopia.
The dispute is focused on the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam and how much water Ethiopia will release downstream if a multi-year drought occurs. Important questions are raised as well about the way the three countries will settle any future disputes. Egypt and Sudan also call for a legally binding agreement on the dam's filling and operation, while Ethiopia insists on guidelines.
Despite years-long negotiations, the countries have failed to reach a three-way deal. Khartoum has recently called for internationalizing the dispute to include the US, the EU, the UN and the African Union, hoping to facilitate an agreement on the filling and the operation of Ethiopia's massive dam.
Source: stripes.com
Photo source: Dreamstime.com