Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan to Sign Dam Agreement by End of February

Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan to Sign Dam  Agreement by End of February

ADDIS ABABA - Officials from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan announced they have cleared the way for the filling and operation of a disputed multibillion-dollar dam being built by the Ethiopian government on the Nile River.
In a joint statement issued after four days of talks in Washington, DC, the foreign ministers and water resources officials of the three Northeastern African countries said on Friday they had agreed on a schedule for filling the dam, dubbed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), among other key issues.
"The ministers have instructed their technical and legal teams to prepare the final agreement," the statement read, "for a signing of the three countries by the end of February 2020."
Trump "expressed optimism that an agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was near and would benefit all parties involved", the White House said in a statement.
The points agreed to on Friday provide mechanisms addressing some of Egypt's concerns, including how to fill the dam during periods of drought, and how to operate the power plant in the long term during droughts.
The ministers also discussed and agreed to finalise a mechanism for the annual and long-term operation of the dam, a coordination mechanism, and provisions for dispute resolution and information sharing.
Finally, they agreed to address dam safety and pending studies on the environmental and social impacts of the GERD. (Aljazeera)