Arab News | Egypt to host Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia leaders as Ethiopia conflict fuels regional tensions

CAIRO: Egypt will host the leaders of Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia for talks on Sunday in the northern coastal city of El-Alamein as renewed fighting in Ethiopia and a rapidly escalating diplomatic dispute raise fears of a wider conflict across the Horn of Africa.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will take part in the four-way El-Alamein Consultative Summit alongside the leaders of the three countries for “consultations and coordination on regional issues of mutual interest,” the Egyptian presidency said Saturday.

Sudan is expected to be represented at Sunday’s summit by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the army chief, according to reports.

The meeting comes at a volatile moment in the Horn of Africa, where fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and a Tigrayan-led opposition alliance has intensified since Sept. 23 in the most serious escalation since the end of Ethiopia’s 2020-2022 civil war.

Addis Ababa has accused Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of supporting the Tigrayan-led alliance, allegations denied by all three countries. Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats this week, prompting Eritrea to sever diplomatic relations with its neighbor.

Tensions have also spilled into relations between Cairo and Addis Ababa. Ethiopia expelled an Egyptian diplomat this week, and Egypt responded by expelling an Ethiopian embassy official.

The African Union on Friday urged Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt to refrain from actions or rhetoric that could further escalate tensions and called for disputes to be resolved through dialogue.

Relations between Egypt and Ethiopia have been strained for years by their dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, with Cairo arguing that the project threatens its water security and Addis Ababa maintaining that it is essential to Ethiopia’s development.

Ethiopia’s push for greater access to the Red Sea has added another source of regional tension. Relations between Ethiopia and its former ally Eritrea have deteriorated sharply amid concerns in Asmara over Ethiopian ambitions for access to the Eritrean port of Assab.

Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia have meanwhile strengthened political and security coordination in recent years.

The three countries held a summit in Asmara in October 2024 at which their leaders stressed respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of regional states and agreed to strengthen cooperation on security in Somalia, Sudan and the Red Sea.

The trilateral relationship grew closer amid Somalia’s dispute with Ethiopia over Addis Ababa’s agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland seeking access to the Red Sea.

Ahead of Sunday’s summit, El-Sisi met Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in El-Alamein on Saturday and reaffirmed Egypt’s support for Eritrea’s “security and stability” and its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

El-Sisi rejected violations of the sovereignty or territorial integrity of states and stressed the need for continued Egyptian-Eritrean coordination to resolve regional crises peacefully and promote security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, according to the Egyptian presidency.

Afwerki said Egypt and Eritrea shared broad agreement on regional developments, including the need to respect state sovereignty and territorial integrity and refrain from interfering in countries’ internal affairs.

El-Sisi also met Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday and reiterated Cairo’s support for Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. The two countries elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in January 2025.

The summit will take place alongside the eighth African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, which Egypt is hosting in El-Alamein on Sunday and which will bring together African leaders and heads of regional economic communities.

The meetings follow the opening on Saturday of the inaugural Alamein Africa Business Forum, an Egyptian initiative endorsed by the African Union aimed at boosting investment, private-sector participation and economic integration across the continent. It is expected to be held every two years in El-Alamein.