The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, announced on Sunday, September 10, 2023, the completion of the filling process of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, which is presented as the largest in Africa, threatening to reignite regional tensions with Egypt and Sudan, located along the river's course.

This announcement comes with the resumption of negotiations between the three countries on August 27, after being stalled since April 2021.

Ahmed also wrote on the "X" platform, "I am very pleased to announce that the fourth and final filling of the Renaissance Dam has been successfully completed," following two weeks after a new round of negotiations between the three countries.

He added, "We faced many challenges, and we had to retreat several times. We faced internal challenges and external pressures," but he confirmed that his country "will accomplish what it has committed to."

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is considered vital for Addis Ababa, costing more than $3.7 billion, and has been at the center of a regional conflict since Ethiopia began construction on it in 2011.

Through this large dam, which is 1.8 kilometers long and 145 meters high, Ethiopia aims to double its electricity production, which only half of its approximately 120 million inhabitants have access to.

Egypt and Sudan fear that this will lead to reduced water supplies for them.

Existential threat!

Khartoum and Cairo have repeatedly requested Ethiopia to stop filling the dam reservoir, pending a tripartite agreement on the dam’s operational mechanisms.

A new round of negotiations began on August 27 in Cairo. Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Souilem stated at the time that the goal is to reach an agreement "that considers the interests and concerns of the three countries," emphasizing "the importance of stopping any unilateral actions in this regard."

Just a few weeks earlier, in mid-July, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Abiy Ahmed gave themselves four months to reach an agreement on the filling and operation of the dam, during a meeting on the sidelines of the African leaders' summit on the ongoing war in Sudan.

Egypt considers this large dam an existential threat because it relies on the Nile River for 97 percent of its water needs.

On the other hand, Khartoum's position has varied in recent years. After several months of forming a joint front with Egypt in 2022, Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan stated last January that he "agreed on all points" with Abiy Ahmed regarding the Renaissance Dam. However, Sudan has been experiencing a bloody conflict since mid-April.