SUDAN NEWS ALERT: AP - Sudan will mediate Egypt-Ethiopia dam dispute, general says

15/3/2020: AP - Sudan will mediate Egypt-Ethiopia dam dispute, general says, by Samy Magdy

 AP reports that Himedti, the deputy head of Sudan’s sovereign council and commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, says Sudan will mediate a deal on an escalating dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt over Ethiopia’s controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River.

 Ethiopia’s plans to build the dam aims to provide much-needed electricity, but Egypt fears the project could reduce its share of the Nile, its main source of freshwater.

 At the end of a two-day meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, Himedti said that Sudan will work to bridge the gap and “reach an agreement” in the years-long dispute.

 Ethiopia believes that the US is siding with Egypt in the dispute. Ethiopia responded to Egyptian statements that it would defend its national interests with veiled warnings that it would retaliate in the event of any attacks.