Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia leaders unite around Red Sea security and sovereignty
NEW ALAMEIN: With tensions rising across the Horn of Africa, the leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia used a meeting in New Alamein on Sunday to reaffirm freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, respect for national sovereignty and peaceful solutions to regional conflicts.
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“This is not a summit directed against any third party,” former Egyptian assistant foreign minister Hussein Haridy told Arab News, describing the gathering as a consultative meeting without a formal agenda.
The discussions were intended to provide an exchange of views on developments in the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden, as well as their political and economic consequences, Haridy said.
Rakha Ahmed Hassan, also a former Egyptian assistant foreign minister, said the meeting came at a particularly sensitive time after relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea deteriorated sharply.
The two countries broke diplomatic relations on Oct. 1 after Ethiopia ordered its embassy in Asmara closed and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats, accusing Eritrea of backing armed opposition groups. Eritrea denied the allegations and responded by severing diplomatic ties.
Hassan dismissed Ethiopian claims that Egypt was interfering in its affairs.
“Egypt respects the sovereignty of all nations and does not interfere in internal affairs,” he said, calling the accusations baseless and unsupported by evidence.
Egypt, he added, did not oppose development in Africa, but objected to steps it viewed as inconsistent with international law.
He identified security in the Red Sea as another pressing concern against the backdrop of the region’s latest tensions.
The four leaders met on the margins of the 8th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, which Egypt hosted in New Alamein.
Their joint statement put freedom of navigation, Red Sea security and respect for sovereignty at the center of the discussions.
They reaffirmed the right to freedom of navigation and said responsibility for the security and governance of the Red Sea should rest with the states bordering it.
The leaders also underscored the need to comply with international law governing transboundary rivers, including the Nile. They highlighted the principles of avoiding harm and pursuing cooperation through prior notification, consultation and consensus.
The statement rejected unilateral steps that could damage the existing water use of the two downstream Nile states.
Regarding Sudan, the leaders reiterated their support for the country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its national institutions.
They opposed the creation of parallel entities and any backing for mercenaries, while calling for the revival of a Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led political process.
The summit further endorsed Somalia’s campaign against terrorism and called for stronger state institutions throughout the country.
Regional and international partners were urged to provide adequate, sustainable and predictable financing for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM. Such support, the leaders said, was needed to help Somalia complete its security transition and ultimately transfer responsibilities to Somali forces.
More broadly, the summit stressed the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states in the region, rejected interference in domestic affairs and advocated political and peaceful solutions to regional disputes.
The gathering followed a series of bilateral meetings involving Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Before the summit, El-Sisi met Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on the sidelines of the Alamein Africa Business Forum. He reaffirmed Egypt’s support for Eritrea’s security and stability and emphasized respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
El-Sisi also held talks on Sunday with Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council President Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, repeating Cairo’s support for Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national institutions.
He said Egypt would continue working at the regional and international levels to promote a political settlement to Sudan’s conflict, bring the war to an end and ease the humanitarian suffering.
In remarks at the opening of the AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting earlier Sunday, El-Sisi said every country had the right to develop and benefit from its natural resources. That right, he added, must be exercised responsibly and without causing harm to other states.
Cooperation over transboundary rivers should rest on international law, consultation, coordination, good-neighborliness and the principle of causing no harm, he said.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty likewise said on Saturday that Cairo had no role in Ethiopia’s internal affairs and did not interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries.
He characterized Ethiopia’s accusations against Egypt as efforts to divert attention from developments inside the country.
The latest summit adds to expanding coordination between Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia.
At a tripartite summit in Asmara in October 2024, the leaders of the three countries reaffirmed respect for regional sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also agreed to deepen coordination on Somalia, Sudan and security in the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.
