China urges Ethiopia to talk anew to Egypt about filling dam on Nile

US, EU and UN also urge the two African countries to peacefully resolve their differences over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

Samuel Gebre and David Wainer | 21 May 2020 | Business Day

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba, now under construction on the Blue Nile, will be the biggest hydroelectric project in Africa when it is complete. Picture: DPA

China and the UN have backed calls for Ethiopia to resume talks over its plans to begin filling a giant hydropower dam. Egypt is opposed to the plans.

Ethiopia wants to start supplying the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam when the next rainy season begins in July. Egypt insists on having a say in how quickly it is filled, because it will affect the flow of the Nile River, the nation’s main source of fresh water.

The US and the EU have both urged the countries to resolve the issue peacefully.

“We hope the differences between the two nations could be resolved through dialogue and peaceful negotiations,” Zhang Gaohui, chief of political affairs at the Chinese embassy in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, said in an e-mailed response to questions.

US and World Bank-backed efforts to mediate the dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt broke down in February when Ethiopia withdrew from the talks.

Earlier in May, Egypt accused Ethiopia of having “a policy of unilateralism”, according to a letter to the Security Council obtained by Bloomberg. In its response, Ethiopia has said it doesn’t have any legal obligations to seek Egypt’s approval to fill the dam.

The increased pressure for talks comes as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is distracted by negotiations with creditors about debt waivers. Ethiopia is expected to sign a moratorium with the Paris Club in the coming days to free up capital the country needs to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Sudan has also been party to the discussions about the dam. The Blue Nile, which originates in Ethiopia and is one of the main tributaries of the Nile, passes through Sudan en route to Egypt. The Sudanese government is working to restart tripartite talks, it said on Wednesday.

Ethiopian water minister Seleshi Bekele said on Twitter that Ahmed received a letter from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel, offering their support in talks between the three nations.

The UN urged them to “peacefully resolve” their differences. “The secretary-general encourages progress towards an amicable agreement,” the spokesperson for UN head Antonio Guterres said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ethiopia remains resolute that a so-called declaration of principles agreement signed by Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in 2015 allows it to proceed with damming the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

“Ethiopia doesn’t need permission of any downstream country to utilise its legitimate share of water,” Seleshi said in a briefing to African diplomats earlier this week. “The first stage of the first filling starts this July.”

The dam is set to be Africa’s biggest hydropower dam once it is completed, generating about 6,000MW of electricity. Ethiopia plans to export electricity to neighbouring states to help ease an acute foreign exchange shortage.