CAIRO — The latest round of negotiations brokered by the African Union on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia has ended with another failure. The dispute resurfaced over the role of experts and observers representing the AU and the World Bank and their role in facilitating the dialogue and resolving the dispute over technical and legal issues.
The ministers of foreign affairs and water for Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia met Jan. 10 during the last round of negotiations led by South Africa, the current AU chair, in a bid to reach a binding legal agreement on the rules for filling and operating the dam, based on the recommendations of the AU Commission that convened several times in 2020.
