ADDIS ABABA: Talks resumed Sunday over Ethiopia´s controversial mega-dam that has long stoked tensions in the Nile River basin, one day after Egypt and Sudan said they were optimistic a deal could be reached. The call began at 04:00 pm East African time (13:00 GMT), according to a tweet from Seleshi Bekele, Ethiopia´s water minister. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), situated in western Ethiopia on the Blue Nile River, has been contentious ever since Ethiopia broke ground on the project in 2011. The South Africa-led talks were suspended earlier this month after Addis Ababa insisted on linking them to renegotiating a deal on sharing the waters of the Blue Nile. Meeting in Khartoum on Saturday, the prime ministers of Sudan and Egypt said they were optimistic that the talks would ultimately bear fruit.

Source: Ethiopian News August 16, 2020 15:22 UTC