On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry made his way to DR Congo to attend talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The African Union-backed (AU) talks had been suspended since January, but will now resume by the invitation of DR Congo. Officials of DR Congo announced that it will host the talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Starting from Saturday, the meetings will last for three days and will be attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan.
President of DR Congo Felix Tshisekedi, who has last month also become the Chairperson of the AU, will host the meetings, the presidency made known. Earlier this month, Egypt and Sudan demanded the resumption of the negotiations from DR Congo. Yet, Sudan considered the talks ineffective earlier, and Egypt put the blame on Ethiopia’s discrepancy.
The Nile, supplying a great deal of irrigation and drinking water, is of vital importance for the surrounding countries.
Earlier this week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi highlighted that ‘’share of water is a red light for Egypt’’ and a conflict concerning this may lead to instability for the entire region.
Sudan, being a downstream country, is concerned about any possible initiatives that Ethiopia may take. Whereas a few days ago, the Ethiopian Ambassador to Cairo expressed that Ethiopia has extended the date to fill GERD so that downstream countries will not be affected by it. The Ambassador underlined Ethiopia’s transparency in the process and emphasized the importance of a peaceful solution.
