A Sudanese government source told Al-Jazeera that Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok has sent official letters to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the European Union official for foreign affairs, and the US Secretary of State, regarding the Renaissance Dam file.
The aforementioned source said that Hamdok, in his letter, called on those parties to mediate in the Renaissance Dam negotiations, along with the African Union.
Cairo had agreed to the Sudanese proposal to expand mediation in the Renaissance Dam negotiations to include the four parties, while Ethiopia still rejects this proposal and considers it a step that would internationalize the dam file.
The United Nations announced a few days ago that it would contact the parties concerned with the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam file in search of a solution to the crisis, after Ethiopia had refused quadripartite mediation to move the stalled negotiations for months.
Stefan Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said in a press conference that the organization continues to support the efforts of the African Union, expressing his belief that the mediation efforts (he did not specify the Quartet or the African) are very important and should move forward.
Dujarric added that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres mentioned this when he spoke by phone with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, and added, "We will talk with the parties and seek to move things in the right direction."
About 3 weeks ago, Egypt announced its support for Sudan's proposal to form a quadripartite international mediation, just as the United States and the World Bank had previously mediated more than a year ago in the Renaissance Dam negotiations, but their mediation did not produce results.
Ethiopia insists on the start of the second filling of the Renaissance Dam next July, while Khartoum and Cairo adhere to first reaching a tripartite agreement, to preserve their annual share of the Nile water, amid stalled negotiations led by the African Union for months.