Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia Leaders to Resume GERD Trilateral Talks Tuesday

On Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the current head of the African Union (AU), announced that talks between Egypt's Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed and Sudan's Abdalla Hamdok on the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will be resumed on Tuesday.

The GERD negotiations will resume following a seven-week hiatus due to persistent disagreement over a binding deal on the filling and operation of the dam.

In a statement, Ramaphosa said that the resumption of negotiations “is indicative of the strong political will and commitment by the leadership of the three parties involved in the negotiations to the peaceful and amicable solution of the GERD matter.

“It is a reaffirmation of the confidence that the parties have in an African-led negotiations process,” he said, adding that the resumption of talks came following “extensive consultations” with the concerned leaders of the GERD dispute.

Ramaphosa expressed his "utmost confidence that the parties will reach agreement on the remaining issues, including those related to the technical and legal aspects of the negotiations."

Egypt and Sudan are striving to reach a legally binding agreement that guarantees adequate flows of water and a legal mechanism for resolving disputes before the dam starts operating, however, in August, Ethiopia celebrated the first phase of filling the dam and insists on completion without an agreement.

Egypt adheres to its historical rights in the waters of the Nile River, and international decisions and laws in this regard, and rejects any unilateral measures that Addis Ababa proceeds with, and demands Ethiopia to adhere to the principles of international law.

Egypt, which heavily relies on its crucial water supplies from the River Nile, exited talks in late August after the three countries failed to reach a consensus on the legal and technical points of contention after Ethiopia proposed a package of non-binding guidelines for the filling and operation of the mega-dam.

The resumption of negotiations comes a few days following the rift between Ethiopia and the US when President Donald Trump laid the blame squarely on Ethiopia for the failure of negotiations.

Cairo fears the massive hydropower project will significantly cut its crucial water supplies from the River Nile, while Sudan fears it could endanger the safety of its own dams.