[b]1.Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have committed to resolving a dispute over a major Ethiopian dam project after US-led talks on Wednesday.
The three countries issued a statement saying they would continue negotiations in the framework of the talks to be held in Washington on December 9 and January 13 with the aim of finding a resolution by January 15 next year.
"The Ministers reaffirmed their joint commitment to reach a comprehensive, cooperative, adaptive, sustainable and mutually beneficial agreement on filling and operating the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and to establish a clear process for fulfilling this commitment in accordance with the 2015 Declaration of Principles," the statement said. It was also signed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and World Bank President David Malpass.
Big profits, big losses
The grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, operating since 2011, is a major Ethiopian hydroelectric project along the Nile River. Ethiopia plans to start filling and operating the reservoir in 2020 in order to eventually complete the construction of one of the world's largest dams and become the largest exporter of electricity in Africa. When completed, the dam will generate about 6,450 megawatts of electricity, which is twice the current output of Ethiopia.
The Nile provides water and electricity to the 10 countries it passes through. Sudan and Egypt fear that the project could endanger their water supply. Egypt, which has suffered from a water crisis in recent years, relies on river drinking water for 90%.
After negotiations between the two countries broke down earlier this year, Egypt asked the United States to step in as a mediator.
Peer-to-peer mediation
The upcoming talks will be attended by the ministers of water Resources of all three countries, as well as the US Treasury and the World Bank.
In the event that a resolution is not reached before the January 15 deadline, the ministers agreed to then involve an international mediator.

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[b]2.[/b]

At least 37 civilians were killed and more than 60 injured after gunmen attacked a convoy of local employees working for the Canadian gold mining company Semafo in Burkina Faso on Wednesday.
Five buses and a military escort were ambushed about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from a gold mine in the eastern city of Bunu.
Local sources said the attack began when an improvised explosive device hit a military vehicle in the convoy. Shortly after, unidentified gunmen opened fire.
The deadliest attack in recent history
The convoy suffered "several deaths and injuries," the company said in a statement, adding that operations at the mine were not affected. The death toll, which still does not include security personnel, is expected to rise. This is already the deadliest attack in almost five years of violence in the country.
Est region Governor Saido Sanu condemned the attack as "barbaric and cowardly.""
The nature of violence
This is the third such attack on a Montreal-based company that operates two mines in the West African country in the past 15 months. Vehicles heading towards the mines were the victims of a similar deadly attack last August, while a police car was found on the same road in December.
Burkina Faso has been plagued by jihadist violence in recent years. The northern part of the country serves as a haven for Islamist extremists who cross the border with Mali. More than 630 people in the country have died as a result of regular attacks, which include raids on villages, road mines and suicide bombings. Past violence has been reported by various militant groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State."."
Before Wednesday's ambush, the country's deadliest attack took place in January 2016 at a hotel in the capital Ouagadougou. The jihadists killed 30 people, about half of them foreign nationals.
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