Sudan rejects Ethiopia's proposal on filling of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

Sudan's Irrigation and Water Resources Ministry in a statement said that Sudan has announced its rejection of an Ethiopian proposal regarding the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), according to a news report by Gabon Media Time.

Sudan rejected the Ethiopian proposal as it stipulates that an agreement should only be about the first phase of the filling of the GERD, while it links the agreement with reaching a comprehensive treaty regarding the Blue Nile water, the statement said.

According to the statement, Sudan regarded the proposal as a change in Ethiopia's position, which threatens the continuation of the tripartite talks between Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

The precondition for Sudan's participation in the Nile dam talks is that an agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD should not be linked with reaching a treaty on the Blue Nile water, it said.

Sudanese Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Yasir Abbas sent a letter to South Africa's minister of international relations and cooperation concerning Ethiopia's changed stance, the statement said.

It noted that Abbas thought a message from his Ethiopian counterpart on Tuesday prompted "serious concerns regarding the course of the current talks, the progress achieved and the understandings reached."

"The Ethiopian proposal represents a great change in the Ethiopian stance and threatens the continuation of the talks led by the African Union," said Abbas, adding that the proposal constitutes a violation of the Declaration of Principles signed by Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia in March 2015.