Ethiopia Accomplishes First Year Filling of GERD

Addis Abeba juily 22/2020 (ENA)The first year filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is achieved and the dam under construction is already overtopping, the Office of the Prime Minister announced yesterday.

Current rainfall and runoff situation in the region have made it conducive to fill the dam as it has become evident over the past two weeks during the rainy season, it added.

The Extraordinary Meeting undertaken at the Heads of State and Government level concluded yesterday with all parties reaching a major common understanding which paves the way for a breakthrough agreement.

Accordingly, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have agreed for further technical discussions about the filling to continue in the AU-led process and proceed to a comprehensive agreement.

The follow-up Extraordinary Meeting of the Bureau of the African Union Assembly, convened by South African President and African Union Chair, Cyril Ramaphosa, discussed virtually the ongoing negotiations between the countries.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed commended the African Union led process for supporting the three countries address differences and arrive at agreements.

He appreciated the "African Solutions to African Problems" resolve undertaken through existing regional mechanisms and reiterated Ethiopia's commitment to continued equitable and reasonable utilization of Abbay River waters, without significant harm to Egypt and Sudan.