2023-08-27 16:24:46
Egypt announced on Sunday August 27 that it had resumed negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan around the Ethiopian mega dam on the Nile, a hydroelectric power station presented as vital by Addis Ababa and perceived as a threat by Cairo and Khartoum.
In Egypt, sailing on the Nile of gods and fellahs
These discussions, which are taking place in Cairo, aim to reach an agreement “taking into account the interests and concerns of the three countries”specifies the Egyptian Ministry of Water and Irrigation.
The sequel after the ad
“It is important to put an end to unilateral measures”underlined the Minister Hani Sewilam, while at the end of June, Ethiopia had launched the 4th phase of filling the reservoir of its megadam.
Existential threat
Considered vital by Addis Ababa, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd), which cost around 3.5 billion euros, has been at the heart of a regional conflict since Ethiopia began work in 2011, Egypt and Sudan fearing that it would reduce their share of Nile water.
In mid-July, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had given themselves four months to reach an agreement on the filling and operation of the dam. The two men had met on the sidelines of a summit of African leaders on the war that has been raging in Sudan for more than four months.
In ancient Egypt, the months pass between the Nile and the heavens
Previous negotiations on the dam had yielded no agreement. They were interrupted in April 2021. Egypt describes the dam as an existential threat because it depends on the Nile for 97% of its water needs.
This megadam, 1.8 km long and 145 meters high, should make it possible to double Ethiopia’s current electricity production, to which only about half of its approximately 120 million inhabitants have access.
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