Sudan Expresses Reservation over Further GERD Meetings

Sudan today expressed reservation to participate in a scheduled tripartite negotiation meeting today with Egypt and Ethiopia on filling and operating Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

In a statement, the ministry of Irrigation of Sudan said that, based on the outcomes of the tripartite ministerial meeting which was held yesterday, Sudan requested the other parties holding a bilateral meeting with African union experts and observers on the same day, but has not received a feedback regarding its request. Instead, it was invited to continue direct tripartite negotiations, prompting Sudan to reserve its participation in the meeting.

However, Sudan is committed to the negotiating process under the auspices of the African Union to give chance to experts to play more role in facilitating the negotiation process, the statement concluded.

Yesterday, the foreign and water resources ministers of the three countries held an online meeting on Sunday, which was chaired by South Africa as a mediator.

During Sunday’s meeting, Egypt asserted the need to strike a deal over the disputed dam before the start of the second phase of filling the its reservoir.