Compromise Is Vital

A few months from now, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will be fully operational. The Ethiopian government after investing billions of dollars in the project is expected to start benefiting from the spinoff. For this to be hitch-free, they need to make sure there is great understanding between her and the neighbors like Egypt and Sudan who have been contesting the construction of the dam and want to have a say with its management. After several fruitless meetings within and out of the continent to seek a long lasting solution to the problem, the only solution at hand now is for the three countries to reach a compromise.
From every observation, the first step towards a must come from Ethiopia. A few weeks back, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi urged Ethiopia to accept a “compromise”. He stressed on the importance of a political will in order to reach a compromise solution at the negotiating table. According to President Al-Sisi since the start of the crisis, proposals that have been put forward are aimed at protecting Ethiopia’s interests while respecting the rights and interests of downstream countries. Egypt, he added, wants the establishment of a binding legal agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD.
Egyptian proposals fall in line with those of Sudan that has also expressed fear with regards to the future of her dam. Since it is true and clear that the filling phase of the colossal dam will for now reduce the flow downstream, neither Egypt nor Sudan are willing to accept the situation withou...