Sudan and Egypt have grown increasingly concerned by Ethiopia's stance during negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The gravity dam on the Nile has been under construction since 2011.
Negotiations over the GERD appear to have broken down once moreImage: Reuters/Maxar Technologies
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The latest round of talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) appeared to have broken down on Tuesday.
The three sides are all seeking to find some common ground but Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Ethiopia had a "lack of political will to negotiate in good faith."
Hosted by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Kinshasa, the meeting between the three countries' foreign ministries began on Sunday and were extended into a third day on Tuesday.
To further complicate proceedings, a Congolese mediator said Sudan had objected to the terms of a draft communique, news agency AFP reported.
"Ethiopia and Egypt accepted the terms contained in the draft final communique. But Sudan felt that its interests in the River Nile were at threat," the DRC source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
Delegations from the three countries were hoping to find a breakthrough in negotiations over a project Ethiopia says is key to its economic development.
Grave concerns downstream
However, the other parties remain uncertain over the GERD. Egypt fears the dam will endanger its supplies of Nile water, while Sudan is concerned about the dam's safety and water flows through its own dams and water stations.
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Egypt had said this latest meeting represented the last chance to re-start negotiations before Ethiopia begins to fill the dam for the second year in a row, after seasonal rains begin this summer.
Ahead of the latest round of talks, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said there would be "inconceivable instability in the region" if his country's water supply were affected by the dam.
The Nile, the world's longest river by some people's calculations and one of the two longest by anybody's, remains crucial to keeping Africa fed and watered. Roughly 19 in 20 Egyptians live within a few kilometers of the river's banks and rely on its water.
Sudan and Ethiopia at loggerheads
Meanwhile, Sudan's foreign minister Mariam al-Sadig al-Mahdi said on Tuesday that Ethiopia's insistence on such unilateral moves represented a violation of international law.
"Without a new approach to negotiations, there becomes space for Ethiopia to impose a fait accompli and put all the peoples of the region in grave danger," said al-Mahdi.
Sudan and Egypt agreed on a proposal to include the European Union, the United States and the United Nations in the talks, as well as African Union mediators.
But Egypt said Ethiopia rejected the proposal during the meeting, as well as other suggestions to re-start negotiations.
Sudan is also in the midst of a border dispute with Ethiopia.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: A never-ending saga
From corruption and mismanagement to a looming diplomatic crisis: Construction on Ethiopia's mammoth dam has been far from smooth sailing.
Image: DW/M. Gerth-Niculescu
A concrete colossus
At 145 meters high and almost two kilometers long, the Grand Renaissance Dam is expected to become Ethiopia's biggest source of electricity. As Africa's largest hydroelectric power dam, it will produce more than 15,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity, beginning in 2022. It will source water from Africa's longest river, the Blue Nile.
Image: DW/M. Gerth-Niculescu
The outlook so far
With more than 50% of Ethiopians still living without electricity, the government wants the dam to be up and running as soon as possible, so tens of millions of residents will be able to access power. The first of a total of 13 turbines are due to be operational by mid-2021.
Image: DW/M. Gerth-Niculescu
A long time in the making
Construction on the current dam began in 2011 — but the site was identified between 1956 and 1964. The coup of 1974 meant the project failed to progress, and it was not until 2009 that plans for the dam were resurrected. The $4.6 billion (€4.1 billion) project has consistently been the source of serious regional controversy, with its plan to source water from the Blue Nile.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Asmare
Transforming the landscape
In a few years, this entire area will be covered in water. The reservoir which is needed to generate electricity is expected to hold 74 billion cubic meters of water. Ethiopia wants to fill the artificial lake as soon as possible, but neighboring countries are concerned about the impact this might have on their own water supplies.
Image: DW/M. Gerth-Niculescu
Diplomatic deadlock
Egypt, in particular, fears that filling the reservoir too quickly will threaten their water supply and allow Ethiopia to control the flow of the Blue Nile. Ethiopia is insisting on having the reservoir filled in seven years. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday, to discuss the matter.
Image: Imago Images/Xinhua
No solution in sight
However, two days of negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan in Washington over the weekend failed to solve the reservoir issue, despite the US stepping in to mediate. With no progress over the last four years, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed even called on South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa — and the 2020 chairperson of the African Union — to intervene in the dispute.
Image: Reuters/S. Sibeko
Back-breaking work
Amidst the heated negotiations, up to 6,000 employees are still working around the clock to get the dam completed by the deadline. The working conditions are not for the faint-hearted: In the hottest months, temperatures on the construction site can reach up to 50 degrees.
Image: DW/M. Gerth-Niculescu
Project mired in corruption
Over the years, construction was also delayed significantly due to ongoing corruption and mismanagement issues. Last month, 50 people were charged with severe graft offenses relating to the dam, including the former CEO of Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP).
