Sudan calls for expansive mediation for Nile dam talks
Sudan’s call for diplomatic intervention is likely to be rejected by Ethiopia.
CAIRO — Sudan has recently called for broadening the negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to include the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, alongside the African Union (AU) that is currently sponsoring the negotiations process.
In an interview with Reuters Feb. 6, Sudanese Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Yasser Abbas called on these actors to take up the role of mediators, instead of observers.
Yet Egyptian and international observers and analysts who spoke to Al-Monitor believe that this call may not stir up stagnant waters, amid Ethiopia’s rejection to engage international mediators from outside the AU in the negotiation process.
The tripartite negotiations on the GERD continue to be stalled, with the last round held Jan. 10 failing to achieve any progress.
