Ethiopian officials have made a number of controversial statements on Wednesday hailing the start of the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s (GERD) reservoir. The ongoing AU-sponsored talks aim to revive the deadlocked negotiations over the GERD, after the last round of negotiations, which was brokered by Khartoum, failed to produce an accord. Egypt and Sudan have repeatedly voiced their rejection of any unilateral move by Ethiopia to start filling the dam before the completion of the GERD negotiations, which are still ongoing under the auspices of the AU. During the mini-summit, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed to prioritise reaching a binding deal on the filling and operation of the GERD, a statement from the Egyptian presidency said on Tuesday. Egypt has voiced concern over Ethiopia's refusal to agree on rules regulating the filling and operation of the GERD during drought and dry years.

Source: Ethiopian News July 22, 2020 20:07 UTC