Egypt and Sudan have restated their opposition to Ethiopia running the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on its own. The dam was inaugurated more than a year ago. Addis Standard, published by AllAfrica, reported that the two countries again cited historical Nile water-sharing agreements. They also demanded a legally binding framework for how the dam operates.
The joint statement came on Monday. It followed the third round of their "2+2" consultation mechanism, which brought foreign and irrigation ministers together in Cairo, Egyptian local media reported. The statement called the two countries' water security "indivisible". It warned that running the dam without a binding agreement still threatens water security downstream.
Cairo and Khartoum urged Ethiopia to drop what they called "unilateral policies" and return to talks based on international law. They cited the principles of avoiding significant harm, prior notification, consultation and consensus. They also rejected attempts to bring other Nile Basin countries into the dispute. They offered conditional support for development projects in the southern Nile Basin. Those projects must meet technical standards and follow notification and consultation rules. Beyond the Nile, the statement backed Sudan's unity and reconstruction and opposed parallel governing entities there. It also said Red Sea governance belongs to the countries that border the sea.
Ethiopia says developing the Blue Nile is a legitimate exercise of its sovereign right to use its natural resources for the benefit of its people. It supports equitable and reasonable use of shared waters. Ethiopia rejects the 1959 Nile Waters Agreement, which Egypt and Sudan signed between themselves. That deal gave Egypt 55.5 billion cubic meters of water a year and Sudan 18.5 billion. It made no provision for Ethiopia. Addis Ababa calls such colonial-era and bilateral arrangements null and void.
Ethiopia inaugurated the self-financed dam in September 2025 in Guba, in the Benishangul-Gumuz region. The ceremony completed a project launched in 2011. The dam has an installed capacity of about 5,150 megawatts and a reservoir of about 74 billion cubic meters. That makes it Africa's largest hydroelectric project, according to the reports. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called its completion a historic achievement.
Ethiopia says the dam is built mainly to generate electricity, not to consume water. It argues the dam can widen access to power, support regional electricity exports and control seasonal flooding downstream. Egypt and Sudan have long sought binding rules on how the dam operates, especially during prolonged droughts.
Talks have stalled repeatedly. Egypt has insisted on United Nations involvement. Ethiopia has rejected those terms and called for a cooperative approach instead. According to the reports, tensions grew in 2026 as Egypt renewed its objections to Ethiopian plans for more Blue Nile projects. Cairo has also coordinated more closely with Khartoum.