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Cairo, Khartoum, Addis Ababa Reconvene Talks over Nile Dam

Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are again sitting down to discuss their differences over a dam that Addis Ababa has begun using to harness one of the main tributaries of the Nile River. The Grand Renaissance Dam, which took shape during much of the past decade across the Blue Nile, will turn Ethiopia into a regional exporter of electricity. The other two countries, however, fear it will have a major impact downriver, where the Nile provides much of their water; they recently expressed outrage when a senior Ethiopian official said the country had unilaterally begun filling the dam’s reservoir. The countries’ water ministers held a virtual summit on Monday that included officials from the African Union, which recently shepherded an agreement within Sudan that saw the rise of co-governance by both civilians and military figures in the wake of strongman Omar al-Bashir’s ouster. EU and US officials also participated in the online talks. An additional session is scheduled for Thursday. The dam is seen as a strategic issue by all three countries and, according to experts, has the potential to destabilize all of northeastern Africa.