Despite more than six years of discussions and the intervention of international players, a consensus has yet to be reached between Cairo, Addis Ababa and Khartoum on the best way to fill the planned reservoir behind Ethiopia’s flagship development project, the $5bn, 6GW Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The most recent talks broke down on 13 July. Addis Ababa had pledged to hold off on filling the dam until an agreement was in place. But satellite imagery indicates that the dam’s reservoir was indeed filling. Initially Ethiopia’s Water Minister Seleshi Bekele confirmed this to local media saying that by 14 July 4.5bcm of water had accumulated. (CONTINUED - 834 WORDS)
