Chief of Ethiopian Nile dam antagonizing Egypt shot dead

The chief of Ethiopia's flagship Nile dam project was shot dead on Thursday, police said.

Engineer Simegnew Bekele, the project manager of the $4 billion construction, was found dead in his car in the capital Adis Ababa with a bullet wound behind his right ear, Ethiopia's Federal Police told press.

A Colt pistol was found inside the car, reported Reuters, quoting the chief of police.

Ethiopia began building the $4 billion dam in 2012, but the mega project has triggered tensions primarily with Egypt, as Cairo fears that once commissioned the dam will reduce water supplies from the Nile to Egypt.

Talks over the Grand Renaissance Dam have been deadlocked for months, but leaders of the two countries on Sunday signalled they had made a breakthrough during a press conference in Cairo in June.