The dam is under construction on Ethiopia’s Blue Nile and Ethiopia started filling the reservoir behind the dam two years ago…reports Asian Lite News
The US envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, on Monday had met with Egyptian government officials to discuss the water security and a number of regional issues, it was reported.
“US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer met with Egyptian government officials today to discuss Egypt’s water security, the Renaissance Dam issue, and other regional issues of common interest. Our ongoing dialogue reinforces our ongoing partnership with Egypt,” US Embassy in Cairo said in an official tweet.
Hammer held talks with Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Egyptian House of Representatives Karim Darwish to discuss the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, regional challenges across the Middle East and Africa, and the robust, strategic partnership between the US and Egypt, the Arab News reported.
Cairo has been seeking a deal for years over the GERD, which Egypt says could put at risk its scarce water supplies. The dam is under construction on Ethiopia’s Blue Nile and Ethiopia started filling the reservoir behind the dam two years ago.
“Hammer’s visit helped advance our continued dialogue and ongoing partnership with Egypt,” the embassy said.
Meanwhile, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) earlier disclosed that members of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia have started their first visit to the East African country.
The visit, slated from July 25 to 30, will be the Commission’s first-ever visit to the East African country since it was established by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council in December 2021, the OHCHR said on Monday in a statement.
The Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia is an independent body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to, among other things, conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into allegations of violations and abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law and international refugee law in Ethiopia committed since November 3, 2020, by all parties to the conflict in northern Ethiopia.
The OHCHR added that during their visit in Ethiopia, the members of the Commission will interact with a wide range of interlocutors. The experts are also expected to issue a statement after they conclude their Ethiopian visit, Xinhua news agency reported.