CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s president and Ethiopia’s prime minister met to discuss bilateral relations, including the construction of a giant dam on the Blue Nile, ahead of a summit in Cairo to discuss potential solutions to the deadly conflict. 12 weeks in Sudan.
Their rare meeting at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo preceded a summit on Wednesday that President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi is organizing on Sudan. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is due to attend Thursday’s high-stakes meeting, alongside leaders from South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, the Central African Republic and Libya.
“The two leaders discussed major bilateral and regional issues of interest to both parties in a spirit of cooperation,” said a tweet from the Ethiopian prime minister’s account.
The Egyptian presidential office said the two leaders spoke about the Renaissance Dam and the crisis in Sudan. No other details about the meeting have been made public.
Egypt is at odds with Ethiopia over the construction of the hydroelectric dam, which has also caused tension in Sudan. Ethiopia says it needs the dam to provide electricity to millions of people who lack power.
Both Sudan and Egypt fear this will reduce the amount of water they receive downstream of the Nile. The dam is located in western Ethiopia just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Sudanese border.
Egypt and Sudan called for a legally binding agreement on how the dam would be operated and filled, but Ethiopia rejected the proposal.
Sudan has been in chaos since mid-April after tensions between the army and paramilitary rapid support forces erupted into open fighting.
The conflict has left more than 3,000 people dead and more than 6,000 injured, Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim said last month. The true death toll is likely much higher, doctors and activists say.