Egypt's PM visits Sudan over Nile Dam row with Ethiopia

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Egypt dispatched one of the topmost government officials to Sudan, one of the parties in the controversial construction of Grand Renaissance Dam along the Blue Nile by Ethiopia, in a move geared towards solving the stalemate which could significantly affect diplomatic relations in northern Africa.

Egypt’s prime minister Mostafa Madbouli’ arrived in Sudan on Saturday on a visit aiming to “improve cooperation” between the two neighbors, officials said, amid tensions over Ethiopia’s Nile dam, whose debate has eclipsed geopolitical situations in the Horn of Africa.

It is Mostafa Madbouli’s first official visit to Sudan since the formation of a transitional government in Khartoum in 2019, following the ouster of Omar al-Bashir, one of the longest-serving strong man in Africa. Bashir was removed from power following mass protests in May 2019.

“The aim of this visit is to improve cooperation between the two countries in various fields,” the office of Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said in a statement but did not delve into finer details over the trip, whose focus is likely to be the Grand Renaissance Dam.

Madbouli’s delegation includes Egypt’s ministers of water and irrigation, electricity, health, and trade and industry. The team is set to negotiate with Sudan, a major stakeholder in the Nile row, which has seen Ethiopia insist on filling the dam in a short duration.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been a source of tension in the Nile River basin ever since Ethiopia broke ground on it in 2011. Egypt and Sudan view the dam as a threat to vital water supplies, while Ethiopia considers it crucial for its electrification and development, AFP reported.

Talks between the three countries were suspended last week after Addis Ababa insisted on linking them to renegotiating a deal on sharing the waters of the Blue Nile. Sudan on Monday said negotiations had been postponed for a week.

During his visit, Madbouli is also expected to meet with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s ruling sovereign council, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, council deputy chief and military general.

Last month, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the chair of the African Union, held a meeting with Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia, but no concrete decision was reached. Ethiopia's PM Abiy Ahmed insisted that the project will go on as planned, further escalating her differences with Cairo.

Further, the two nations have shifted their differences to Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, where they are competing for establishing relations. While Egypt is said to be planning to establish a military base in Somaliland, Ethiopia responded by announcing plans to send a full envoy to the secessionist state.

GAROWE ONLINE