Egypt: Ethiopia rejecting coordination mechanism over Renaissance Dam

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile River, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia. (Reuters)

• Mohamed Abdel-Aty: The establishment of a huge dam such as the Renaissance Dam, without coordination with the Egyptian High Dam, is a precedent that has not occurred before
• The African Union is supervising the Renaissance Dam negotiations, which bring together Ethiopia on one side and Egypt and Sudan on the other

CAIRO: Ethiopia is refusing to accept a coordination mechanism to achieve a fair and binding agreement on the filling and operation of its Renaissance Dam, said Egypt’s Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Aty.

“The establishment of a huge dam such as the Renaissance Dam, without coordination with the Egyptian High Dam, is a precedent that has not occurred before, and requires a clear and binding coordination mechanism between them, which Ethiopia rejects,” he added.

He said Egypt has agreed to the construction of other dams in Nile Basin countries such as Uganda and Ethiopia, and does not object to the Renaissance Dam, but is concerned that a legally binding agreement has not been reached. Abdel-Aty added that Egypt meets 97 percent of its water needs from the Nile River. 

The African Union is supervising the Renaissance Dam negotiations, which bring together Ethiopia on one side and Egypt and Sudan on the other.

Previous rounds of negotiations between the three countries have failed, with Ethiopia insisting on completing the filling of the dam’s reservoir.

Battle for the Nile

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