CAIRO — Amid tension and anticipation, technical negotiation sessions have occurred daily since June 9 — between the irrigation ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, and three observers representing the United States, the European Union and South Africa — following a Sudanese initiative to resume negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement that would determine the rules of filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed spoke in front of the Ethiopian parliament June 8 ahead of the meetings, stressing that “the decision to fill the GERD reservoir is irreversible.” The Ethiopian government already specified July as the starting date for water storage in the dam’s reservoir without waiting for Sudan and Egypt’s approval.