Egypt Watch

A new failure in Renaissance Dam negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia

The Ministry of Irrigation has announced the failure of the fourth round of the
Renaissance Dam negotiations, which was held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa,
where no final agreement was reached between Egypt and Ethiopia on the amount of
water that should flow from the dam in droughts, and the mathematical matrix
required to define the rules and guidelines for the system of filling and running the
dam.
The ministry affirmed that Egypt tried to submit proposals and studies that would
guarantee Ethiopia generate electricity continuously and efficiently in periods of
severe drought without harming Egyptian water interests.
Egypt and Ethiopia exchanged accusations regarding the failure of the negotiations,
and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in an official statement that Ethiopia is
“opinionated” and criticised its adoption of exaggerated positions revealing its
intention to impose a fait accompli and extending its control over the Blue Nile,
filling and operating the Renaissance Dam without any consideration for Egypt’s
interests.
A final meeting with American mediation is scheduled to be held on January 13 in the
American capital, Washington, in the presence of US Treasury Secretary Stephen
Mnuchin and the President of the World Bank.