On Wednesday, President Trump met with Egyptian President Sisi in Davos and expressed his desire to facilitate a meeting between the leaders of Egypt and Ethiopia to discuss resolving the dispute over the Nile Dam.
Ethiopia officially held a completion ceremony for the “Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam” (GERD) last autumn. This largest dam in Africa is expected to have a power generation capacity exceeding 5000 megawatts, doubling Ethiopia’s electricity capacity. Located on the Blue Nile, one of the main tributaries of the Nile River, near the border between Ethiopia and Sudan, the dam has raised concerns in both countries. Both countries believe that the dam will pose a serious threat to their vital water resources.
Egypt has stated that the dam “seriously violates international law” and poses a “threat to survival” for Egypt, while also expressing concerns about its potential serious impact on the flow of the Nile River.
Last Friday, President Trump announced that he is prepared to restart U.S. mediation efforts between Egypt and Ethiopia to resolve the dispute over the Ethiopian dam.
Egypt and Sudan welcomed President Trump’s mediation proposal last Saturday. Egyptian President Sisi posted on the X social media platform, expressing appreciation for “President Trump’s attention to the core importance of the Nile issue to Egypt,” and adding that Egypt is committed to “serious and constructive cooperation with Nile Basin countries on the basis of international law principles to achieve common interests while not harming the interests of any party.”
Sudan’s Sovereignty Council Chairman and military leader Abdel-Fattah Burhan posted on the X platform, praising Trump’s mediation proposal as a move to “seek sustainable and satisfactory solutions to protect the rights of all parties.”
(Reference: the Associated Press)