The discussions, spanning two days, involving representatives from Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan concerning the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, reached an impasse in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital.

Seleshi Bekele, leading the negotiations for Ethiopia, mentioned that the nations had shared “constructive feedback on lingering issues.” He emphasized Ethiopia’s dedication to ongoing dialogues.

However, Egypt’s water ministry placed the responsibility on Ethiopia for the stalemate, asserting that Addis Ababa displayed reluctance towards any middle ground. Egypt emphasized the importance of an accord to safeguard its water resources and national prerogatives. The dam costing around $4.6 billion and initiated in 2011, has been a topic of protracted discussions. Once operational the dam will generate around 6,000 megawatts of power, doubling Ethiopia’s present capacity and positioning the country as an energy surplus nation.

Ethiopia views this project as pivotal for its growth trajectory. In contrast, Egypt, the Arab world’s most densely populated nation, is apprehensive that the dam might curtail its Nile water quota, vital for its burgeoning populace of 100 million.

[This could actually be a flashpoint for another big blow-up if Egypt and Ethiopia ever have a complete falling out. It’s always been very tenuous as it is. If you haven’t had a chance to catch up on what the Ethiopians have been doing building this damn on the Blue Nile, there’s a good primer in this 2020 article. Ethiopia announced they’d finally filled it in September of this year. OTOH, if the Egyptians get pissed off or the Ethiopians cut-off Blue Nile downstream water to Egypt, you can see where the potential for some Egyptian dam-busting operation come in, as they won’t stand for that. And then you have a regional conflict between two very well equipped countries that we work with breaking out right next to our base in Djibouti. ~ Beege]