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UN Security Council set to vote

on Africa’s GERD dispute

ETHIOPIA TUNISIA has tabled a five-point draft resolution against such taking a step before a legally binding
to the UN Security Council that calls for Ethiopia deal is reached among the three countries on the
to end the second filling of the reservoir at the filling and operation of the mega dam.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Both the EU and the US have been in favour
The resolution, which is due tot be voted on of talks in order to end the stand off between the
this week, also demands that Egypt, Sudan, and three countries, which threatens to destabilise
Ethiopia resume their stalled negotiations on regional security.
the issue and reach a binding agreement in six The armed conflict between the Tigray
months. people and Ethiopian government has caused
The draft also calls on all three countries thousands of deaths, and the displacement of
stop any measure that delays negotiations and two million individuals, including 50,000 who
requires Ethiopia to stop all unilateral decisions. havefled to Sudan. That is in addition to putting
The Tunisian draft is supported by the Arab 400,000 at the risk of famine.
League and reflects Egypt’s position in the dis- The UN is concerned that the GERD could
pute, whereby the %,260 add to the regional instability.
At the start of July, Tunisia and Norway offers Meanwhile, the US has also become involved.
to take the dispute to the UN Security Council, a The US envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Felt-
step that Egypt and Sudan have long supported, man, in May called on the three countries to find
while Ethiopia has always preferred to pursue the a solution to their dispute over the Grand Ethi-
existing African Union- sponsored talks, even opian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project, which
though they have broken down. has threatened to destabilise relations between
Turning to the UN as Ethiopia has reiterated them.
its plans to implement the second phase of dam Feltman said that US President Joe Biden was
filling in August “serious in settling such a sensitive issue.”
It officially informed Egypt and Sudan on July Ethiopia’s 2021 summer filling of the reser-
5 that it would carry out the filling this summer, voir is expected to be reach 4 bcm of water. In
and that it had started preparatory work. 2020, Ethiopia added 4.9 bcm to the reservoir.™
Egypt and Sudan, however, have warned

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