Egypt and Sudan welcome US offer to resume mediation over Ethiopia’s Nile River dam

Egypt and Sudan have welcomed a US offer to restart talks with Ethiopia over the Nile River water dispute.

President Trump said on Saturday he was ready to resume mediation to resolve the question of Nile Water sharing “once and for all.” Earlier talks were abandoned in 2020.

Addis Ababa inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in September. The $5 billion project is the largest in Africa and is meant to double the country’s electricity generation.

But Cairo says the dam will will drastically reduce the Nile’s flow, and could have severe effects on Egypt’s agriculture and other sectors.

Sudan wants assurance that replenishment of the dam’s reservoir won’t have unexpected impacts on its own dams.

The dispute centers on how the dam is replenished, the amount of water Ethiopia will release downstream in case of drought and the how the three countries will settle future disputes.

Cairo and Khartoum want a legally binding agreement on how the dam will be filled and operated, but Addis Ababa will only agree to guidelines.