The long-running dispute over the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, the main tributary of the Nile River, remains at a standstill despite repeated attempts to revive negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

In this context, a Sudanese diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the GERD dispute remains complicated since Addis Ababa is not showing any political will to resume the tripartite negotiations. “[Ethiopia’s intransigence] comes despite the two downstream countries — Egypt and Sudan — expressing their readiness to return to negotiations. Meanwhile, Ethiopia's continued refusal to abide by a specific time limit for negotiations and to involve other international parties in [mediating] the dispute adds more complexity to the crisis.”

In a TV interview with Asharq News channel broadcast Aug. 29, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said his country wants to reach an agreement on the GERD dispute within the framework of international law.

Egypt and Sudan have repeatedly called for developing the negotiation mechanism by forming an international quartet led by the Democratic Republic of the Congo in its capacity as the current African Union (AU) head. The quartet would include the United Nations, the European Union and the United States. However, Addis Ababa rejected the internationalization of the crisis and insisted on holding the negotiations under the AU sponsorship only.