Egypt will host a four-way summit on Sunday bringing together the leaders of Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia alongside Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s army-aligned Sovereignty Council, amid mounting political and security tensions across the Horn of Africa.
The talks will be held in New Alamein City and will focus on regional issues of common concern, according to the Egyptian presidency. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Burhan are expected to attend.
The meeting comes as instability across Sudan and renewed tensions in the Horn of Africa have sharpened concerns over Red Sea security, regional alliances and disputes surrounding the Nile basin.
Afwerki arrived in Egypt ahead of the summit and held talks with Sisi on the sidelines of the Alamein Africa Business Forum. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as regional developments, with Cairo stressing cooperation with Asmara on political, security and economic issues.
Sisi also met Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, reaffirming Egypt’s support for Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
The summit will take place alongside the African Union’s eighth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, also being hosted in New Alamein.
Ahead of the gathering, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met US senior adviser Massad Boulos during the Africa business forum, with discussions covering Sudan and developments across the Horn of Africa.
According to the Egyptian account of the meeting, Abdelatty stressed Cairo’s support for Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity and called for efforts to end the conflict through dialogue and negotiations. Egypt has maintained close ties with the army-aligned authorities based in Port Sudan.
The discussions also covered Egypt’s concerns over Nile water security and developments in the Horn of Africa, including Somalia, Red Sea security and broader regional tensions.
Boulos said his talks with Abdelatty covered the US-Egypt strategic partnership as well as efforts to resolve the Sudan conflict, promote stability in the Horn of Africa and address divisions in Libya.
The New Alamein summit comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the region, with Sudan’s war continuing and political and military tensions elsewhere in the Horn raising fears of wider instability.
