Ethiopia suspends Nile Dam talks in US

The Ethiopian government has suspended trilateral talks with Egypt and Sudan in Washington DC, due to an unfinished consultation with national stakeholders.

Continuing talks, brokered by the US, were meant to take place between 27-28 February, though Ethiopia’s negotiating team will not come to the table without having finalised consultations.

According to Ethiopia’s Ministry for Water, Irrigation and Energy, all consultations have not been completed as they had not finished all discussions with stakeholders and domestic experts.

While clearly a setback, this latest move does not signal the end of negotiations, rather, a plea for more time.

Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan are, by all accounts, on track to sign a joint accord regulating the time Ethiopia takes to fill the dam, the area of biggest contestation. 

Earlier this month all parties agreed to continue negotiations until a solution was found.

Photo: DMW/Gerth-Niculescu