Ethiopia began second filling of GERD dam in early May, says Sudan official

Countries have spent years locked in talks over the project

A satellite image taken on June 26, 2020 shows a close-up view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile. Maxar Technologies via Reuters

The construction site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba in the North West of Ethiopia, seen in November 2017. AP

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River in Guba, northwest Ethiopia. AFP

An aerial view of water levels at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba, Ethiopia, 2020. AFP

The Blue Nile River is seen as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam reservoir fills near the Ethiopia-Sudan border, in this broad spectral image taken on November 6, 2020. Reuters

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has been a source of discord for years. AP

The GERD dam on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia has been under construction since 2011. EPA/MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River is considered by Ethiopia to be integral to its energy supply, but neighbouring countries say it jeopardises their own water resources. AFP

This frame grab from a video obtained from the Ethiopian Public Broadcaster (EBC) on July 20 and July 21, 2020 and released on July 24, 2020 shows an aerial view of water levels at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba, Ethiopia. AFP

A view of northwestern Ethiopia that focuses on the status of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the Blue Nile River on July 11, 2020. AFP

A handout satellite image shows a closeup view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia June 26, 2020. Maxar Technologies via Reuters

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will return to Washington this week for another round of talks to reach an agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam after missing the deadline last month. Reuters

The Blue Nile river flows near the site of the planned Grand Renaissance Dam near Assosa in Ethiopia. AP

The Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project in Ethiopia. Egypt belives Adis Abbaba is being deliberatley slow in negotiations. William Lloyd George / AFP

A combination picture of handout satellite images shows a view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) July 25, 2017 (top left), July 20, 2018 (top right), July 3, 2019 (bottom left), July 9, 2020 (bottom right) in Ethiopia, in these Sentinel-1 satellite imageries obtained by Reuters on July 14, 2020.

Ethiopia began the second phase of filling its Grand Renaissance Dam in early May by holding back water to fill its reservoir, a senior Sudanese official said on Tuesday.

The main phase of the second filling of the controversial dam is expected in July and August after seasonal rains fall in Ethiopia, the official at Sudan's irrigation ministry told Reuters.

The 6,450 MW hydropower project is being built on the Blue Nile, the Nile River’s main tributary, just 30km from Sudan's border.

Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have been locked in talks over the operation of the dam for a decade, with the downstream nations fearing water scarcity and even risk of flooding if a solid agreement is not reached.

The latest round of talks stalled in April, and fiery rhetoric has escalated the crisis in the weeks since.

But Ethiopia has said it will push ahead with a second phase of filling in July and August, even if no agreement is reached.

Ethiopian officials have made no comment on the claims that the dam is being filled.

The claim from Sudan came as Egyptian military forces arrived in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum ahead of a joint military drill.

Sudanese and Egyptian forces will hold the manoeuvres dubbed “Guardians of the Nile” from mid-next week to the end of the month aimed at “strengthening bilateral relations and unifying methods on dealing with threats that both countries are expected to face," Sudan's state news agency SUNA reported on Tuesday.

The report did not say how many troops would participate. Apart from those that landed at Khartoum Air Base, another contingent of soldiers and army vehicles were expected to arrive by sea.

In March, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi warned his country’s share of the Nile waters was “untouchable” and that there would be “instability that no one can imagine” in the region if Ethiopia fills the reservoir without an international agreement.

Cairo and Khartoum have called for the US, UN, and the European Union to help reach a legally binding deal after African Union involvement in the process failed to reach a deal. The agreement would spell out how the dam is operated and filled, based on international law and norms governing cross-border rivers.

Egypt relies on the Nile for more than 90 per cent of its water supplies. Ethiopia says the $5 billion dam is essential, and that the vast majority of its population lacks electricity.