Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia are running high. The reason? The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). After nine years of construction, Africa's largest hydroelectric project is moving into the fill phase, but there is disagreement about how much Nile water Ethiopia should let through in the future. The GERD has sparked multiple protests. Since the start of its construction in 2011, it faced opposition from the downstream nations of Egypt and Sudan. The tragic 2018 death of GERD's head of engineering, Simegnew Bekele, whose body was found in his parked car, remains controversial to this day. Rumours say he was killed. The official story is it was suicide. ACLED, an organisation that collects conflict data, recorded protests linked to the alleged murder in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. In February, there are records that residents from Sudan's Blue Nile state demonstrated over fears about the effect of the GERD on water levels in their area. One side argues GERD will be a curse for downstream countries. The other claims it Engineering & Technology October 2020 www.EandTmagazine.com will be a boon and game-changer for growth and property. So who is right? E&T finds that both sides - downstream Egypt at the end of the Nile as well as Ethiopia, the builder of the dam - have attempted to influence the debate and sway public opinion. By doing so, they have confused citizens, impairing their judgment when measuring up pros and cons of the GERD project. This may have made it harder to resolve disagreement between the nations involved.