The United Nations has urged Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to resume talks to resolve the dispute over the Nile dam “within a reasonable time frame”.

A UN Security Council statement noted on Wednesday that the three nations should restart the negotiations at the invitation of the African Union’s chairperson “to finalise expeditiously the text of mutually acceptable and binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam”.

The 15-member Security Council also invited observers acceptable to the three countries to support the process.

The dam project on the Blue Nile has caused tension between Ethiopia and its neighbours, with Egypt and Sudan worried about droughts and water security.

Egypt sees it as an existential issue as it relies almost entirely on the river for its water supply.

Ethiopia sees the dam as a way to bring electricity to millions of its citizens.

The dam is almost complete and due to start generating an initial 750 megawatts of electricity in a month.

It is expected to generate eight times that amount when it is projected to be complete in 2023.