Egypt, Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea Push Regional Dialogue Amid Rising Tensions
Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan have agreed to pursue political and peaceful approaches to growing security tensions in the Horn of Africa and surrounding region, as renewed fighting in Ethiopia and Sudan’s prolonged civil war heighten concerns over regional stability. The four countries reached the position during a summit in New Alamein, Egypt, on Sunday involving their respective leaders.
The joint declaration backed Sudan’s military-led authorities and called for a political settlement involving Sudanese parties to end the conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, which has continued since April 2023. The leaders also opposed arrangements that could give landlocked Ethiopia independent control or a military foothold along the Red Sea, stressing that decisions over the strategic waterway should involve its coastal states.
The meeting comes as fighting intensifies in Ethiopia, where government forces and an alliance of armed groups have clashed in several regions. Ethiopian authorities have accused Eritrea, Egypt and Sudan of supporting forces opposed to Addis Ababa, although the three countries have rejected allegations of involvement. Government troops and allied fighters have meanwhile regained control of Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, after Tigrayan forces withdrew from the city.
The leaders also raised concerns over Ethiopia’s approach to the Nile and its pursuit of access to the Red Sea, issues that have strained relations with neighbouring countries for years. Egypt and Sudan remain opposed to unilateral actions concerning Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, while Somalia has maintained that any Ethiopian access to its ports must be based on an agreement with Mogadishu. The summit therefore signals an attempt by the four countries to strengthen regional coordination at a time when conflicts, territorial interests and disputes over strategic waterways are increasingly overlapping.
