Could Egypt and Ethiopia finally end the GERD dispute? President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Ethiopian Premier Abiy Ahmed agreed to accelerate talks to find a solution to the long-running dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the two sides said in a joint statement after meeting in Cairo on Thursday. Cairo and Addis Ababa aim to finalize an agreement within the next four months, bringing an end to years of acrimonious negotiations over how to share the Nile’s water.

REFRESHER- The two countries, together with Sudan, have been unable to agree on how to divvy out the Nile’s water resources following the construction of the USD 4.6 bn dam, which Egypt says presents an existential threat to its water security. Central to the dispute is the timetable for filling the GERD’s reservoir and how much water Ethiopia will release as the dam becomes operational. Ethiopia has been unilaterally filling the reservoir over the past three years without a binding agreement, angering Cairo which in 2021 pulled out of African Union-led negotiations.

An olive branch? Ethiopia will continue to fill the reservoir this year but has pledged to do so in a way that doesn’t cause “significant harm” to Egypt and Sudan and continues to meet their water needs, according to the statement.

Ethiopia says GERD will benefit all: “Ethiopian believes that the dam will be very beneficial to all … helping store Nile water, which can be used in the case of a drought,” Ahmed said in a statement.

EGYPT LAUNCHES SUDAN PEACE BID-

ALSO IN DIPLOMACY- Cairo hosts summit to push for peace in Sudan: The leaders of Egypt and the six other African countries called for a lasting peace in Sudan during talks in Cairo on Thursday. In an eight-point communique, the countries agreed to set up a council of foreign ministers to coordinate efforts to end the country’s three-month civil war and called on both sides to commit to an extended ceasefire.

Background: The summit brought together the leaders of countries that share borders with Sudan: Egypt, the Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, and South Sudan. The Sudanese army has been fighting against rival paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April, causing the displacement of mns of people and forcing thousands to flee into neighboring countries. No representatives of either party attended the summit.

In detail: The council is tasked with drawing up an action plan of “practical steps,” communicating directly with Sudanese parties, and setting mechanisms to deliver humanitarian aid to Sudan, among other responsibilities designed to complement the work of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union. The council will hold its first meeting in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, and will present its recommendations at the next Sudan peace summit.

Calls for a ceasefire: The seven countries called on the warring factions to commit to an immediate ceasefire, appealed to other countries not to interfere in the conflict, and agreed to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid, according to the communique. Saudi Arabia and the US have mediated a series of short-term truces between the two sides but talks collapsed in June following serious violations of the ceasefire.

Warring factions welcome mediation:The Sudanese army and the RSF both welcomed the outcome of the summit in statements on Thursday.

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