Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan surrounding the long-disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) officially concluded on 19 December, failing to produce an agreement. In a statement posted on Facebook, Egypt’s Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources attributed the failure to Ethiopia’s ongoing rejection of proposed technical and legal solutions that would protect the interests of all three countries. This was the fourth round of trilateral talks held by the three governments since Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed agreed to resume talks in July 2023 and reach a solution to the dispute in four months. Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Hani Sewilam declared it would be Egypt’s last attempt. “The world continues to await an agreement from these negotiations, but they now must know that all talks have stopped,” Sewilam stated in a live interview with talk show host Lamis Elhadidy on 19 December. The ministry and Sewilam emphasized Ethiopia’s consistent backtracking on previously agreed-upon understandings among the nations. “Ethiopia elects to continue exploiting the negotiation as a cover to solidify a fait accompli on the ground while negotiating solely to obtain approval…
GERD Talks Fail Again, Egypt Says No More Negotiations With Ethiopia
December 20, 2023
