Egypt’s President Al-Sisi discussed with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa developments of Ethiopian Nile dam dispute during a phone call on Saturday. Al-Sisi stressed the necessity of reaching a comprehensive deal on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and reiterated Egypt’s rejection of any unilateral actions taken by any party that could affect its Nile water rights.
With 90% of its water needs provided by the River Nile, Egypt remains concerned that the GERD will shrink its share of water from the river, which will cause harms to its people.
Egypt has expressed concerns regarding its possible impact on its 55bn cbm share of the River Nile water. However, Ethiopia insists that the dam will not negatively affect Egypt’s interests.
Ramaphosa, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the African Union (AU), called for further cooperation between Egypt and South Africa, to find a mutually beneficial and negotiated agreement on the Nile dam matter.
On Friday, Bureau of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government urged Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, with support of AU experts and observers, to work expeditiously to finalise the text of a binding agreement on GERD filling and operation.
The Bureau welcomed the report of AU Experts on the resumed Trilateral Negotiations on the mega Nile dam, which reflected notable progress in the negotiations and presented options for resolving outstanding legal and technical issues.
Bureau welcomed Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia understanding to work on a Comprehensive Agreement on the Blue Nile River as soon as possible.
