Chief of Ethiopian Nile dam antagonizing Egypt shot dead

Chief of Ethiopian Nile dam antagonizing Egypt shot dead
The chief of Ethiopia's flagship Nile dam project, which has caused ongoing tensions with Egypt, was shot dead on Thursday
1 min read
26 July, 2018
The chief of Ethiopia's flagship Nile dam project was shot dead [Getty]
The chief of Ethiopia's flagship Nile dam project was shot dead on Thursday, police said.

Engineer Simegnew Bekele, the project manager of the $4 billion construction, was found dead in his car in the capital Adis Ababa with a bullet wound behind his right ear, Ethiopia's Federal Police told press.

A Colt pistol was found inside the car, reported Reuters, quoting the chief of police.

Ethiopia began building the $4 billion dam in 2012, but the mega project has triggered tensions primarily with Egypt, as Cairo fears that once commissioned the dam will reduce water supplies from the Nile to Egypt.

Talks over the Grand Renaissance Dam have been deadlocked for months, but leaders of the two countries on Sunday signalled they had made a breakthrough during a press conference in Cairo in June.

Egypt relies almost totally on the Nile for irrigation and drinking water, and says it has "historic rights" to the river, guaranteed by treaties from 1929 and 1959.

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