Both Cairo and Khartoum said they had been notified by Addis Ababa that the second phase of filling had begun at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. In Addis Ababa, the offices of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Irrigation Minister Seleshi Bekele did not immediately respond to AFP’s requests for comment. Relations between Cairo and Addis Ababa have been icy over the past decade. Addis Ababa had previously announced it would proceed to the second stage of filling in July, with or without a deal. Egypt and Sudan wanted a trilateral agreement on the dam’s operations to be reached before any filling began.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 06, 2021 13:38 UTC