Egypt says talks over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam have failed

Egypt said the latest talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) had failed but it would monitor the process of filling and operating the dam.

"Egypt reserves its right, in accordance with international charters and accords, to defend its water and national security in case of any harm," Egypt's ministry of water resources and irrigation said in a statement on Tuesday.

In a statement, Ethiopia's foreign ministry said Egypt had "misrepresented" Ethiopia's positions in the talks, adding that Egypt's "colonial era mentality and erected roadblocks against efforts toward convergence".

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in July that they would aim to finalise a deal over the disputed dam within four months. Years of stop-start talks have proved unsuccessful.

Egypt has long opposed the project because of worries about its future supplies of water from the Nile, on which it is heavily dependent. Sudan, another downstream country, has expressed concern about the regulation and safety of its own water supplies and dams.