Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan leaders met over Nile dam impasse

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – An Ethiopian government statement says the leaders of Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan met in Addis Ababa to discuss contentious issues related to the dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile River.

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the meeting took place Monday on the sidelines of the African Union summit. The meeting comes after Ethiopian and Egyptian leaders met less than two weeks ago in Cairo.

Egypt fears the $4.8 billion dam could reduce its share of the Nile River waters while Ethiopia asserts it needs the dam for its economic development. It appears the main issue is how quickly the reservoir behind the dam will be filled and if the filling will cause Egypt to get less water from the Nile River.