Egypt’s El-Sisi Hosts Summit with Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan Leaders

By Staff, Agencies 

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi hosted a consultative quadrilateral summit with the presidents of Eritrea and Somalia and the Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, according to the Egyptian presidency.

The leaders agreed to strengthen coordination and consultation on regional challenges while stressing respect for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of states, support for national institutions, rejection of interference in internal affairs, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

The leaders discussed developments in the Horn of Africa, stressing the need to intensify coordination to address shared challenges, preserve regional security and stability, and promote development and economic integration among the countries of the region.

They also stressed the importance of respecting international law governing transboundary rivers, including the Nile, and expressed their complete rejection of any unilateral measures that could harm the existing water uses of the two downstream Nile countries.

The summit comes amid recent tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia, particularly over the Nile water dispute, alongside ongoing security and political developments in the Horn of Africa.

Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia previously held a trilateral summit in Asmara in October 2024, which focused on respecting state sovereignty and territorial integrity, strengthening security cooperation, and discussing developments in Sudan and security in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.

On Friday, the African Union Commission expressed concern over rising tensions between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt, calling on the three countries to exercise maximum restraint and avoid actions or statements that could lead to further escalation.

Egypt has rejected allegations by the African Union r, arguing that the crisis in Ethiopia is internal and unrelated to Cairo, Egyptian news agency MENA reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
An informed source expressed great surprise at the African Union Commission's recent statement regarding rising tensions between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt. Cairo views this phrasing as an “incomprehensible attempt to drag Egypt into an internal Ethiopian issue,” the source told MENA.

The source added that Egypt's foreign policy is based on international law, respect for national sovereignty, non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, and good-neighborliness.