The dispute between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been ongoing for a decade and attempts to negotiate have ended in a stalemate. Under the motto “African solutions to African problems”, the African Union (AU) has been trying to mediate talks between the three riparian states since 2020. Nevertheless, parties have failed to find a comprehensive agreement regulating the filling and operation of the Ethiopian dam.

The decade-long dispute over the Nile, which began in 2011 as Ethiopia unilaterally started building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, has been characterised by firm state-centric approaches among riparian states. The inability of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to transcend unilateralism for a spirit of compromise has undermined the chances for cooperation and, with it, efforts to place human security and the human right of access to water have also been overshadowed.

The long-standing transboundary watercourse dispute between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) represents a danger to the region's stability. Despite a long decade of negotiation, the crisis has been characterized by high levels of tension and low levels of cooperation between the three states.