Ethiopian minister denies 'dam filling' comment

The filing of the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has not begun, Ethiopia's Water Minister Sileshi Bekele has told the Associated Reports (AP), denying earlier reports attributed to him.

He had been quoted as telling the state broadcaster that the latest satellite images showing water levels rising at the dam was as a result of the filling, reports said.

However, Mr Sileshi has now told AP that the images reflected water collected after heavy rains and that the inflow was greater than the outflow.

Ethiopia sees the hydro-electric project as crucial for its economic growth.

But Egypt and Sudan, which are downstream, fear the large dam will greatly reduce their access to water.

Years of fraught negotiations have failed to reach a consensus on how and when to fill the reservoir, and how much water it should release.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has previously warned that filling and operating the dam without an agreement "would heighten tensions and could provoke crises and conflicts that further destabilise an already troubled region".

A conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia, which are both US allies, would put millions of civilians at risk.