AfrElec: Egypt denies any deal with Ethiopia over GERD

Egypt has refuted Ethiopia’s claims that the two countries have reached a consensus regarding the timeframe for filling a controversial $5bn hydroelectric dam under construction on the Nile River.

The two countries have long been embroiled in a dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) near the Blue Nile’s source, a Nile River tributary.

Egypt perceives the GERD as a fundamental threat to its water allocation from the Nile, a lifeline for the country’s agriculture sector, and insists that Addis Ababa must enter into a binding agreement concerning the dam's filling and operation.

Ethiopia considers the dam vital for its development and refutes any claims that it will harm Egypt and Sudan, the two downstream countries.

Recently, an Arab League (AL) summit issued a resolution reaffirming support for Egypt's demand for a binding agreement with Ethiopia regarding the GERD's filling and operation. Ethiopia has been vocally critical of the AL’s involvement on the issue considering the $5bn dam an “African matter”, thus exclusive competence of the African Union (AU).

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