Can African Union revive Nile dam talks?
After the UN Security Council expressed support for the African Union-sponsored talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the African grouping is reportedly seeking a new round of talks to resolve the dispute between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, in its capacity as the African Union chair, is seeking to host a new negotiation round between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile — the main tributary of the Nile River — three months after talks were halted.
The Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper cited anonymous Egyptian sources July 12 as saying that the African Union addressed the three countries as part of a new initiative to start a new round of negotiations in Kinshasa within two weeks.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, speaking at an event to promote development of Egyptian villages July 15, indicated that the dam is a national security issue for Egypt, which he called a red line that “cannot be crossed.”
While he encouraged Egyptians to maintain normalcy — “Live your lives, don’t worry,” he said — he also hinted that all options are on the table. “Before anything happens to Egypt, the army and I would have to be gone,” he added.
