Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi discussed the latest developments of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)developments with his South African counterpart and African Union chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday.
In a phone call, Al-Sisi stressed need for conclusive agreement over the dam’s filling and operation, and refusal for unilateral actions.
The president also said that Egypt’s request to the United Nations Security Council to intervene to reach a fair and just agreement.
Egypt wants the UNSC to undertake its responsibilities over the GERD, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry told the Associated Press (AP) on Sunday. Part of this would be preventing Ethiopia from taking any unilateral action in filling the GERD’s reservoir.
Ramaphosa said that he looks forward to bolstering coordination between the two countries on this sensitive and vital issue, praising the sincere and constructive political will that Egypt has always shown to reach a solution to the GERD crisis.
Also on Thursday, Sudanese Foreign Ministry sent a letter UNSC to clarify the former’s stance on the latest developments of the GERD. Sudanese Foreign Minister Asmaa Abdullah has said in the letter that the GERD has positive and negative effects, and that all parties have to exert great efforts and cooperate to realize the positive impacts and mitigate the negative ones.
Egypt depends on the River Nile for about 90% of its water needs. The country remains concerned that the GERD will shrink its share of Nile water, and cause harms to its people.
In 1993, Egypt and Ethiopia signed an agreement that prevents any of both countries from implementing water projects that harm the interests of the other.
