Eritrea shifts course on Egypt-Ethiopia dispute over Nile dam
The visit of the Eritrean president to the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam shows a change of position in Eritrea, which had always backed Egypt in the Nile dam issue.
CAIRO — The visit of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) during his official visit to Ethiopia on Oct. 13 raised several questions about the impact of such rapprochement on the Egyptian diplomatic moves to galvanize the support of the neighboring countries for Egypt in the Nile dam dispute. The dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia revolves around the Nile water management and dealing with the potential risks and adverse effects of the GERD on Egyptian water security.
Since Ethiopia first announced the construction of the GERD under Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in April 2011, Afwerki had expressed negative stances on the dam.
