Sudan says Nile dam talks delayed for ‘consultations’

A picture shows the flooded Blue Nile river in the town of Osaylat, 50 km southeast of the capital Khartoum, on August 6, 2020, (AFP)
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Updated 10 August 2020
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Sudan says Nile dam talks delayed for ‘consultations’

  • Talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan were suspended last week after Addis Ababa

KHARTOUM: Sudan on Monday said that negotiations over Ethiopia’s massive and controversial dam construction on the Blue Nile have been postponed for a week.
Talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan were suspended last week after Addis Ababa insisted on linking them to renegotiating a deal on sharing the waters of the Blue Nile.
“A meeting at the level of ministers of the three countries took place on Monday, during which Sudan asked to postpone the next meeting for one week for internal consultations,” Sudan’s water ministry said in a statement.
Egypt and Sudan view the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dam as a threat to vital water supplies, while Ethiopia considers it crucial for its electrification and development.
South Africa, which holds the presidency of the African Union and is mediating negotiations, has urged the countries to “remain involved” in the talks.


Syria says 120 Daesh detainees escaped prison; Kurdish website said 1,500 escaped

Updated 20 January 2026
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Syria says 120 Daesh detainees escaped prison; Kurdish website said 1,500 escaped

  • The Syrian ministry said Syrian army units and ministry special forces entered Shaddadi following the breakout

CAIRO: Syria’s Interior Ministry ​said on Tuesday that about 120 Daesh detainees escaped from Shaddadi prison, after the Kurdish website Rudaw reported that a spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, ‌Farhad Shami, said ‌around 1,500 Daesh ⁠members ​had ‌escaped.
The Syrian ministry said Syrian army units and ministry special forces entered Shaddadi following the breakout. It said security forces had recaptured 81 of the escapees ⁠after search and sweep operations in ‌the town and surrounding ‍areas, with efforts ‍continuing to arrest the ‍remaining fugitives.
Earlier, the Syrian army said “a number of” Daesh militants had escaped a prison that had ​been under SDF control in the eastern city of Shaddadi, ⁠accusing the SDF of releasing them.
After days of fighting with government forces, the SDF agreed on Sunday to withdraw from both Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, two Arab-majority provinces they had controlled for years and the location of Syria’s main oil fields.