Egypt and Sudan released a joint statement on 2 November, reiterating their opposition to Ethiopia’s independent management of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and calling for a binding legal framework to govern its operation.

The statement, issued after the third round of the “2+2” foreign‑minister and irrigation‑minister talks in Cairo, described the two countries’ water security as “indivisible” and warned that Ethiopia’s dam operation without a binding agreement threatens downstream water security.

Both governments urged Ethiopia to abandon what they termed “unilateral policies” and resume negotiations based on international law principles such as avoiding significant harm, prior notification, consultation and consensus.

The pair also insisted that the dispute remain confined to the three Nile Basin states—Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia—rejecting calls for broader regional involvement.

Egypt and Sudan continue to cite the 1959 Nile Waters Agreement, a bilateral treaty that allocated 55.5 billion cubic metres annually to Egypt and 18.5 billion cubic metres to Sudan while excluding Ethiopia, as the basis for their water‑allocation claims.

Ethiopia, which inaugurated the GERD in September 2025, rejects the 1959 accord as a colonial‑era document that cannot limit its sovereign right to develop the Blue Nile, emphasizing that the dam is primarily for electricity generation and flood regulation.

Ethiopia maintains that the GERD will not deprive downstream states of water and argues that equitable and reasonable utilisation, rather than historic bilateral agreements that excluded upstream riparians, should guide Nile water sharing.

Negotiations have repeatedly stalled, with Egypt demanding United Nations involvement and labeling Ethiopia’s dam filling as “unilateral”, while Ethiopia calls for a cooperative approach that recognises the development needs of all riparian countries.

Tensions have risen in 2026 following renewed Egyptian objections to Ethiopia’s plans for additional Blue Nile projects and closer diplomatic coordination between Cairo and Khartoum.