During the AU-brokered summit, Ethiopia recognized that the first phase of filling the dam was conducted due to the heavy rainfall this year. Sudanese Minister of Irrigation Yasser Abbas said that it was agreed at the mini-African summit, to continue negotiations to overcome the points of contention over the Renaissance Dam. Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew tweeted in Amhari language, “It was previously the Nile River, now it is a lake. Ethiopia will use the lake to achieve all the developments it wants. In fact, the Nile is ours.”Egypt has repeatedly assured its strong keenness to reach an agreement regarding the dam in a way that preserves the rights of the three countries.

Source: Ethiopian News July 26, 2020 12:56 UTC