CAIRO — Egypt will step up efforts to safeguard Red Sea maritime routes and back a new African Union mission in Somalia, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Friday, framing the Horn of Africa’s stability as inseparable from regional and global security.
Addressing African ministers and delegates gathered in Cairo for the second ministerial forum of the Russia–Africa Partnership, al-Sisi called the Red Sea corridor “strategically vital” and said Egypt is working with partners to keep the waterway secure. The shipping lane links the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean and is a lifeline for global trade.
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Al-Sisi said Egypt intends to actively participate in the African Union’s new mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and is moving to help secure financial support for the operation. He offered no timeline but positioned Cairo’s involvement as part of a broader push to stabilize the Horn of Africa and curb transnational threats.
The president spoke alongside Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty in a session attended by African Union representatives and regional economic stakeholders. He acknowledged the scale of the continent’s development and security challenges, even as African states increase cooperation.
“Africa’s development still faces many obstacles, including weak infrastructure, insufficient investment, and multiple security threats,” al-Sisi said.
He reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to work with African partners, including Somalia, on counterterrorism and state-building through comprehensive approaches that blend security measures with development and social cohesion. He highlighted the role of Al-Azhar, Egypt’s leading Islamic institution, and the International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacebuilding, and Reconciliation in Cairo in supporting prevention and capacity-building initiatives.
Al-Sisi’s remarks underscore Egypt’s dual focus: protecting a maritime artery crucial to the global economy and reinforcing African-led security mechanisms. Disruption in the Red Sea has ripple effects far beyond the region, raising shipping costs, rerouting vessels and straining supply chains. Cairo’s positioning reflects both national interests and a bid to anchor a collective response to evolving threats.
While details remain limited, Egypt’s stated support for AUSSOM aligns with the African Union’s drive to sustain security gains in Somalia through a mission tailored to current needs. Funding and capabilities will be pivotal, and al-Sisi’s emphasis on mobilizing resources points to an early effort to close anticipated gaps.
The Russia–Africa ministerial forum offered a convening platform for these messages, with delegates weighing priorities that range from infrastructure and investment to peace and security. For Egypt, tightening coordination with continental institutions and neighbors around the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa is central to keeping shipping lanes open and strengthening collective security.
Egyptian officials did not elaborate on operational contours of the country’s contribution to AUSSOM or additional measures along the Red Sea. But al-Sisi’s assurances signal intent to calibrate diplomacy, security cooperation and religious and civic outreach — leveraging national institutions and multilateral forums alike — to address the intertwined challenges he outlined.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
