Ethiopia is preparing to launch the fourth filling of its mega-dam reservoir on the Blue Nile, the country's deputy prime minister announced Thursday, despite opposition from its downstream neighbour Egypt. The massive $4.2 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been at the centre of a regional dispute ever since Ethiopia broke ground on the project in 2011. Egypt and at times Sudan have repeatedly asked Addis Ababa to stop filling the reservoir. "The GERD is now approaching its fourth filling. Sudan's leader, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhane, said in January that Khartoum and Addis Ababa are "aligned and in agreement" over the dam.

Source: Ethiopian News June 22, 2023 16:11 UTC