Egypt, Ethiopian leaders discuss Blue Nile dam ahead of Cairo summit on deadly Sudan conflict

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s president and Ethiopia’s prime minister have met to discuss bilateral relations, including construction of a giant dam on the Blue Nile, ahead of a summit in Cairo to discuss potential resolutions to the deadly 12-week conflict in Sudan.

Their rare meeting at Cairo’s Al-Ittihadiya Palace Wednesday preceded a summit that President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi is hosting on Sudan. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is set to attend Thursday’s high-stakes meeting, along with leaders from South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, Central African Republic and Libya.

“The two leaders discussed on key bilateral & regional issues of interest to both parties in a spirit of cooperation,” said a tweet from the Ethiopian prime minister's account.

The office of Egypt’s presidency said that the two leaders spoke about the Renaissance Dam and the crisis in Sudan. No further details about the meeting were made public.

Egypt has been at odds with Ethiopia over the construction of the hydroelectric dam, which has also caused tensions in Sudan. Ethiopia says it needs the dam to bring electricity to millions of people who lack power.

Sudan and Egypt fear it will reduce the amount of water they receive downstream on the Nile River. The dam is located in western Ethiopia just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Sudanese border.

Egypt and Sudan have called for a legally binding agreement on how the dam would be operated and filled, but Ethiopia has rejected the proposal.

Sudan has been in chaos since mid-April after tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces burst into open fighting.

The conflict has killed more than 3,000 people and wounded more than 6,000 others, Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim said last month. The actual death toll is likely much higher, say doctors and activists.