The United States has called, on Friday, for the resumption of African Union (AU) mediated negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the latter’s controversial Nile dam.
The US State Department issued a statement about the results of the visits of its Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, to Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, which lasted from 4 to 13 May.
The State Department said that the United States is committed to working with international partners to facilitate resolving regional issues, such as the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute.
The statement added that Feltman discussed with the leaders of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia the water and safety concerns of downstream countries (Sudan and Egypt) regarding the GERD.
The US envoy discussed with the leaders of the three countries the resumption of negotiations under the auspices of the AU, based on the Declaration of Principles signed in 2015, stressing that the United States is committed to providing political and technical support to ensure the success of the negotiations.
As for the Sudanese internal issues, Feltman confirmed to the leadership of Sudan that the US will continue to support the peaceful power transition in the African country, so that Sudan can reclaim its position as a responsible regional player after three decades of destabilisation.
The American statement concluded that the UN envoy would return to the region to continue intensive diplomatic efforts to resolve differences in the region on behalf of US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
“The Horn of Africa is at an inflection point, and the decisions that are made in the weeks and months ahead will have significant implications for the people of the region as well as for US interests,” the statement read.
During the past weeks, the three parties of GERD dispute have made diplomatic contacts with regional and international powers to explain their stances and developments on the deadlock in negotiations.
The second filling of GERD is scheduled for July, and Ethiopia aims to store around 18.4 billion cubic metres of Blue Nile water. The first filling reached 4.9 billion cubic metres last year.
