Talks on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam fail again

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is a grand dam that has left three African nations divided. The dam is a source of national pride for Ethiopia but, for Egypt and Sudan, the dam is a headache. They fear it will cut off vital water supplies.

The six-way talks on GERD failed to make any progress, due to a disagreement on how to resume the negotiations and other procedural aspects of the negotiating process.

All three partners have been trying to reach an agreement but, the latest round of negotiations has failed.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been a source of tension in the Nile River basin ever since Ethiopia broke ground on it in 2011, with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan worried it will restrict vital water supplies.

Ethiopia, the second-most populous country in Africa, says the hydroelectric power produced by the dam will be vital to meet the power needs of its 110 million people.

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Egypt, which depends on the Nile for about 97 per cent of its irrigation and drinking water, sees the dam as an existential threat.

Sudan expresses frustration after negotiations stall but Egypt, Ethiopia blame Sudanese objections for the new impasse.

Ethiopia, which has said it reached its first-year target for filling the dam's reservoir, has recently signalled it would proceed with the filling regardless of whether a deal was concluded.

The Nile, the world's longest river, is a lifeline supplying both water and electricity to the 10 countries it traverses.

Its main tributaries, the White and Blue Nile, converge in the Sudanese capital Khartoum before flowing north through Egypt to drain into the Mediterranean Sea.

Last year the matter reached the United Nations and both Egypt and the Sudan raised their objections. Since then, all three parties have held several rounds of talks but yet failed to break the deadlock on Africa's biggest dam.

(With inputs from agencies)