The African Union (AU) has announced readiness to help mediate between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, the three disputed parties on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Chairperson of the AU Commission Moussa Faki arrived Khartoum on an official two-day visit, heading a high ranking delegation, including AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU’s envoy to Sudan Mohamed al-Hassan Ould Labata and Head of the AU Liaison Office in Khartoum Mohamed Belaiche.
Faki met with Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi in Khartoum who stressed Sudan’s insistence on reaching a legally binding agreement on the rules of filling and operating the mega dam Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile.
Egypt and Sudan have been in a race against time to reach an agreement before Ethiopia’s scheduled unilateral second filling of the dam reservoir in July.
Faki is scheduled to hold meetings and talks with several political figures and heads of the official diplomatic missions in the capital, including Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Volker Perthes.
The AU began sponsoring the stalled GERD negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia since July last year.