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Egypt denounced on Sunday the unilateral launchÌýof operations of the (GERD), a multi-million built by Ethiopia on the Nile River.

"This is anotherÌýstepÌýviolating Ethiopia'sÌýobligations under the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed by the Ethiopian Prime Minister," the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on .

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the at the dam on Sunday. Ethiopia has been buildingÌýthe dam since 2011 despite the opposition of Sudan and Egypt, Ethiopia's downstream neighbours, who view the project as a threat to their share of Nile waters. The filling of the dam began in July 2020.

Around $4 billionÌýwere invested in the dam. ItÌýis set to be theÌýlargest hydroelectric project in Africa butÌýhas crystallised regional tensions around water rights.

Ethiopia arguedÌýthe project, which will generate over 5,000 megawatts of electricity, was essential to meet its development needs.Ìý

Several rounds of negotiations took place and broke down between the three countries since signing a jointÌýDeclaration of PrinciplesÌýin 2015, a non-binding agreement in which the three countries agreed to cooperate and communicate on sharing the Nile waters.