Biden administration picks up Nile diplomacy

Antony Blinken, US President Joe Biden’s nominee to be secretary of state, warned this week in his confirmation hearing that talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam could "boil over."

In response to a question by Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Chris Coons, D-Del., about how the United States can better support the "fragile transition in Sudan" and hold countries in the region accountable for human rights, Blinken noted "concerning actions, including atrocities" by Ethiopian forces against Tigreans and refugees and promised a "fully engaged" American foreign policy in the region.

The Biden administration is not inheriting a cold start on Nile River and Horn of Africa diplomacy. US President Donald Trump agreed to help broker a deal between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in September 2019, at the request of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Then US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin worked out an agreement with the three parties and the World Bank in February 2020, but when it came time to sign, Ethiopia never showed up. Since then, mediation efforts by the African Union and South Africa have sputtered.