Sudan’s irrigation minister ‘deeply concerned’ over 2nd GERD filling plans without agreement

CAIRO – 8 January 2021: Sudan’s Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas on Thursday has expressed “deep concern” over Ethiopia’s announcement of plans to implement the second filling of the massive Renaissance Dam, SUNA reported.

In a message he sent to the international cooperation of South Africa, Abbas affirmed his country’s commitment to continue negotiations on the dam under the auspices of the African Union in case a bigger role was given to the AU experts in this regard, the Sudanese official news agency reported.

Abbas, in the message, expressed deep concerns over plans of the second phase of filling before a binding agreement is reached between the three concerned countries.

Sudan is not willing to proceed with endless negotiations that do not result in any valuable solutions, the minister said.

A tripartite meeting between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia was terminated on Monday due to the absence of Sudan, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.

The meeting, which was held upon an invitation from the Ethiopian side, was attended by water ministers from Egypt and Ethiopia, technical and legal delegations from the two countries, observers and experts assigned by the AU Commission, the statement said, adding that, Sudan did not participate in the meeting.

This negotiation round aims at discussing the controversial points of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).