Egypt says last round of GERD talks is “last chance” before filling second dam

CAIRO v KINSHASA (Reuters) – The latest meeting between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the Ethiopian Great Renaissance Dam could be the last chance to relaunch talks before it is completed for the second year in a row, a statement on Sunday.

The meeting ends on Monday in Kinshasa. Previous attempts to reach an agreement on the huge dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile have come to a standstill.

Ethiopia says the dam is essential for its economic development and electricity generation. Egypt fears it will jeopardize its supply of water from the Nile, while Sudan is concerned about dam safety and the regulation of water flows through its own dams and water stations.

Ethiopia has said it will refill the reservoir behind the huge hydropower dam after seasonal rains begin this summer, a move that opposes both Sudan and Egypt.

“These negotiations are the last opportunity for the three countries to reach an agreement … before the next flood season,” Egypt’s foreign minister said in a statement.

Last week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said there would be “inconceivable instability in the region” if Egypt’s water supply were affected by the dam.

Sudan is currently embroiled in a tense border dispute with Ethiopia over the fertile al-Fashqa region, and on Saturday completed joint military exercises with Egypt.

In a separate statement, Sudan said Ethiopia had raised its stakes in trying to reopen talks on Nile water distribution.

“I invite everyone to make a fresh start, to open one or more windows of hope,” said Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo and President of the African Union, who is mediating the negotiations.

Sudan in March welcomed an initiative by the United Arab Emirates to mediate both the dam talks and the border dispute, but recently called for the inclusion of the United Nations, the European Union and the United States as mediators.