Regional Mediation in African Transboundary Rivers Conflicts : Assessing the African Union’s Role in the Renaissance Dam Negotiations

Abstract

In April 2021, Egypt and Sudan announced the failure of the African Union (au)-led negotiations over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (gerd). Why did the au fail to achieve progress on the contested issues in spite of the parties’ rhetorical commitment to settle these issues, the mediation capacity that the au developed over the last decade, and its comparative advantage as a regional organization close to the dispute? This article addresses this question. It integrates regional conflict resolution literature and water diplomacy approaches to identify the conditions of successful mediation in transboundary water conflicts, a task which contributes to ongoing au efforts to learn from past mediation experiences.