As quoted by the Al Ahram diary, the secretary general of the organization, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, stated that Cairo and Khartoum are conducting the talks on one hand, while on the other Addis Ababa and international mediators are negotiating.

“Countries downstream the Nile Basin and the international community cannot accept Ethiopia imposing its will by defying international law,” said Aboul Gheit.

That was one of the main issues addressed in Cairo last Sunday between the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El Sisi, and the head of the Sudanese Sovereign Transitional Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Tensions between the two countries and Ethiopia have escalated in the past year following Addis Ababa’s decision to begin the filling and the operation of the GERD, which both Cairo and Khartoum see as a danger to their water reserves.

Given this situation, the two countries seek to sign a binding agreement on the management of the dam.

“A fair and balanced agreement on the GERD will allow Ethiopia to achieve its development and increase its electricity generation capacity while protecting the rights of Egypt and Sudan,” El Sisi recently noted during his visit to Serbia.

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