April 2021
Tensions continued to mount among Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt ahead of Addis Ababa’s planned second unilateral filling of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in coming months. In apparent warning to Addis Ababa and preparation for possible escalation of inter-state tensions, Sudan and Egypt 31 March-5 April held second joint military exercise since Nov 2020. New round of talks among Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on filling and operation of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Blue Nile river broke down 6 April. Cairo same day denounced Ethiopia’s “lack of political will to negotiate in good faith”, while Khartoum vowed to “consider all possible options to protect its security”, denouncing Addis Ababa’s rejection of its proposal for quadripartite mediation by AU, EU, UN and U.S. to break deadlock in AU-led negotiations. Ethiopia’s water minister Seleshi Bekele 7 April said Addis Ababa would proceed with second filling of dam during forthcoming rainy season bet
Congolese President Heads to Sudan For GERD Talks Published May 4th, 2021 - 08:54 GMT
Workers perform measurements at the GERD in Ethiopia. (AFP/File Photo)
Highlights
GERD filling talks continue between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi will travel to Khartoum soon for talks with Sudanese officials on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), said foreign minister Mariam al-Mahdi on Monday.
According to the official Agence Congolaise de Presse (ACP), al-Mahdi made the announcement of the visit after a meeting in Kinshasa with the chairperson of the African Union. Kshisekedi appears more involved in the GERD process in comparison with the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who led the process last year.
May 1 - 2021 KHARTOUM
US Senator Chris Coons (Ralph Alswang)
US Senator Chris Coons, member of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Chris Van Hollen will arrive in Khartoum on Monday for a three-day visit.
The delegation is visiting in order to discuss the latest developments on the Sudanese-Ethiopian border and strengthen cooperation between the US and Sudan.
During their visit, they will meet the Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, Minister of Justice, Nasreldin Abdelbari, and the Minister of Irrigation Yasir Abbas.
US diplomat Jeffrey Feltman was named a special envoy for the Horn of Africa on April 23, and will lead international efforts to address tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan and around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that Feltman s appointment underscores the administration’s commitment to lead an intern
Taarifa Rwanda
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Ethiopia’s Prime Minister declined a call by his Sudanese counterpart for a tripartite meeting to break the deadlock over the stalled talks on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
After the failure of a meeting held in Kinshasa earlier this month, Abdallah Hamdok called his Egyptian and Ethiopian counterparts for a videoconference meeting on 23 April to reach a compromise on the stalled talks.
Hamdok said his call for the meeting was based on the Declaration of Principles (DoP) of 2015 which provides that in the case of failure to solve a dispute, the parties “Can ask for mediation or refer the matter to their heads of states or prime ministers”.
A Sudanese minister has warned that his country could take legal action against Ethiopia if the latter goes ahead with plans to fill a mega-dam on the Blue Nile without first reaching a deal with Khartoum and Cairo.
In a series of Twitter posts on Friday, Sudan’s Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas also said Ethiopia had “objected” to an invitation for a three-way summit to discuss stalled negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia have been locked in inconclusive talks for nearly a decade over the filling and operation of the massive dam, which broke ground in 2011.