Egypt and Sudan have expressed approval of former President Donald Trump’s proposal to restart American mediation efforts concerning the contentious Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River. The diplomatic overture comes amid ongoing tensions between the Nile Basin nations over Africa’s largest hydroelectric project.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi acknowledged Trump’s engagement with what Cairo considers a matter of national survival, stating his country remains committed to “serious and constructive cooperation with the Nile Basin countries, based on the principles of international law.” Simultaneously, Sudan’s military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan characterized Trump’s initiative as a positive step toward achieving sustainable solutions that protect all parties’ rights.
The $5 billion GERD project, inaugurated by Ethiopia last fall, represents a monumental infrastructure development with the capacity to generate over 5,000 megawatts of electricity—effectively doubling Ethiopia’s power generation capabilities. However, downstream nations Egypt and Sudan view the dam’s operation as potentially catastrophic to their water security.
Egypt, whose 110 million population depends overwhelmingly on Nile waters, fears the dam could significantly reduce water flow, threatening agricultural sustainability and other vital sectors. Sudan has emphasized the need for coordinated reservoir management to prevent adverse effects on its own dams.
The core disagreement revolves around establishing binding agreements regarding the dam’s filling procedures, water release protocols during droughts, and dispute resolution mechanisms. Previous U.S.-mediated negotiations initiated during Trump’s presidency stalled in 2020 when Ethiopia withdrew from talks, though discussions continued under African Union auspices without resolution.
Ethiopia maintains that the dam is crucial for national development, noting that most of its population lacks reliable electricity access. As of this reporting, Ethiopian officials had not publicly responded to Trump’s renewed mediation offer.