Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan delay dam deal deadline until end of February

After four days of negotiations in Washington, officials from the three countries have agreed to postpone the signing of a deal until the end of February.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab & agencies

31 January, 2020

Egypt is concerned the dam will reduce Nile water available to its citizens [Getty]

Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan concluded talks Friday on a controversial dam by delaying until the end of February their deadline for signing a deal.

After four days of negotiations in Washington, ministers asked technical and legal teams to prepare a final agreement "for a signing of the three countries by the end of February 2020," a joint statement said.

The project, called the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, is around 70 percent complete and promises to provide much-needed electricity for Ethiopia's more than 100 million people.

However, Egyptian officials are concerned that filing the reservoir behind the dam too quickly could significantly reduce the amount of Nile water available to Egypt.

Read more: Ethiopia's Great Renaissance Dam – A Catastrophe for Egypt?

Earllier this month, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan reached a preliminary agreement aimed at clearing the way for the filling of the dam.

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