The United States' National Security Council (NSC) said on Wednesday that it is time to reach a deal over Ethiopia's disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) before filling it with Nile River water. In a tweet on its official account, the NSC said that "257 million people in east #Africa are relying on #Ethiopia to show strong leadership, which means striking a fair deal." "The technical issues have been resolved," the NSC said, referring to the ongoing tripartite negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, before adding that it's "time to get GERD deal done before filling it with Nile River water!" More to follow...