Gobran Mohammed 

CAIRO: The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa began a regional tour on Sunday to resolve tensions caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Mike Hammer will hold talks in Egypt, the UAE and Ethiopia until Aug. 1, according to the US State Department.

The GERD has raised tensions between Ethiopia on one hand and Egypt and Sudan on the other.

The latter two countries are demanding a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam, which they fear will reduce their share of Nile waters.

Hammer’s regional tour coincides with that of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who is visiting Egypt, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hammer will also consult with the African Union, under whose auspices GERD talks have taken place.

US President Joe Biden, after meeting his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the Jeddah Summit for Security and Development earlier this month, affirmed Washington’s support for Egypt’s water security and a diplomatic resolution that achieves the interests of all parties.