The US has warned that Ethiopia’s start of the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reservoir is a unilateral measure that would increase tension in the region. In statements to reporters, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price stressed the need for all parties to refrain from taking unilateral measures, stressing the importance of working to reach a negotiated solution acceptable to all. Price said that his country continues to support the cooperative and constructive efforts of the concerned countries, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, in order to reach a lasting understanding on the issue. Ehtiopia gave official notice to Egypt on Monday that it had begun the second filling of the dam. Ethiopia, on the other hand, has stressed the importance of the project to bolster its economy, where more than half of the population currently lives without access to electricity.

Source: Egypt Independent July 07, 2021 14:37 UTC