Egypt and Sudan have called on Ethiopia to resume negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as soon as possible to reach an agreement that would end years of conflict between the three countries.

On March 2, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Sudanese counterpart Mariam al-Sadiq in Cairo and issued a joint statement calling on Ethiopia to show good faith and engage in an effective negotiation process to reach a legal and binding agreement that achieves the interests of the three countries, preserves the water rights of Egypt and Sudan, and limits damages.

Shoukry and Sadiq stressed their adherence to the proposal made by Sudan and later supported by Egypt on developing the negotiation mechanism by forming an international quartet that includes the United States, United Nations, European Union and African Union (AU), led and managed by the Democratic Republic of Congo in its capacity as the current AU head, to mediate in negotiations.

However, on March 3, Addis Ababa rejected the internationalization of the crisis and adhered to AU-brokered negotiations only. In a weekly press briefing, Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said that calling on different parties to mediate while the AU-led negotiations have not been completed is demeaning to the AU’s efforts.