Ethiopia will fill dam within two weeks

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

Ethiopia is scheduled to begin filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) within two weeks, during which the remaining construction work will continue and negotiations will be concluded, according to Office of the Prime Minister.

The statement issued on early this week, said that the three countries have agreed to reach a final agreement with few pending matters remaining.

“Ethiopia is scheduled to begin filling the GERD within the next two weeks, during which the remaining construction work will continue,” said the statement, adding that “it is in this period, that the three countries have agreed to reach a final agreement on few pending matters.”

The Extraordinary Meeting of the Bureau of the African Union Assembly was held virtually on Friday last week, on the ongoing negotiations between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt with regards to the first filling and annual operation of the GERD.

The meeting was convened by South African President and African Union Chair, Cyril Ramaphosa, with the participation of heads of state of Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt and members of the Assembly Bureau.

The leaders underscored that the Nile and the GERD are African issues that must be given African solutions. The heads of State of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt provided a statement on the status of the negotiations and the meeting set directions on the way forward.

Accordingly, the three countries have agreed to conclude the negotiation and try to reach an agreement within the next two weeks before Ethiopia starts filling the dam.

The meeting also resolved to notify the United Nations Security Council that the African Union seized the matter. It also instructed the African Union and members of the Bureau to provide technical support for the negotiations and urged Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt to cease unnecessary media escalation, the statement said.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in his Facebook post said “I appreciate Chair of the AU, President Cyril Ramaphosa, for his leadership in facilitating these high-level talks of continental significance. Gratitude also to AUC Chairperson Moussa Faki. Our continental organization, with a Pan-African spirit, is the right space to dialogue on issues that are of value to Africa.”

The GERD offers all stakeholders the opportunity for unprecedented economic growth and mutual development, he added.

The Extraordinary Meeting of the Bureau of the African Union Assembly held on Friday last week was attended by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki, AU Chairperson and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, and President Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo.