Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Cairo on July 13 to discuss the crisis in Sudan and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The Egyptian presidential spokesman said in a statement that the two leaders discussed “ways to settle the crisis in Sudan, enhance bilateral relations between Egypt and Ethiopia and the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.”
Egypt is hosting the Summit of Heads of State and Governments of countries neighbouring Sudan, which will be convened on Thursday, at the invitation of Al-Sisi.
The summit was also attended by Chadian President Idriss Déby, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir.
The 2023 Sudan conflict is an armed conflict that began on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The summit is aimed at finding ways to end the crisis and prevent it from spilling over into neighbouring countries.
The conflict is the latest in a series of crises that have plagued Sudan since the overthrow of President Omar Al-Bashir in April 2019.
The GERD is a massive hydroelectric dam being built on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. Egypt and Sudan have been concerned that the dam will reduce the amount of water flowing into their countries.
The three countries have been negotiating over the GERD for several years, but they have not been able to reach an agreement. The summit in Cairo is seen as an opportunity to revive the negotiations and reach a deal that is acceptable to all sides.
