Sudan urges upgrading of Nile dam dispute

Sudan has proposed upgrading negotiations with Egypt and Ethiopia on a Nile mega-dam to ‘prime ministerial level’ in a bid to break the deadlock. ‘The disputes between the three delegations are of a legal nature especially in terms of a mechanism for water sharing. Sudan has proposed to refer these issues to the Prime Ministers of the three countries,’ said Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Yasser Abbas. A report on the News24 site notes that no timeline has been set for the Prime Ministers to meet as Addis Ababa continues to stick to the July deadline of filling the reservoir of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. As previously reported in Legalbrief Today, countries downstream are concerned about the impact on their water supply. Egypt relies on the Nile for 90% of its water, and a 1932 treaty gives it and Sudan rights to most of the water. Upon completion, the dam will be Africa's biggest hydroelectric power plant and provide Ethiopia and some neighbours with huge amounts of electricity and energy security.