CAIRO — A new round of negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue commenced Sunday with the participation of Sudanese, Egyptian and Ethiopian delegations. Filling and operating the dam by one side is a violation of the Declaration of Principles, signed in 2015, he noted. The massive $4.2-billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been at the center of a regional dispute ever since Ethiopia broke ground on the project in 2011, with Egypt fearing it will slash its share of Nile water. Protracted negotiations over the filling and operation of the dam since 2011 have thus far failed to bring about an agreement between Ethiopia and its downstream neighbors. Egypt has long viewed the dam as an existential threat, as it relies on the Nile for 97 percent of its water needs.

Source: Ethiopian News August 28, 2023 07:52 UTC