The leaders of Somalia, Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan are expected to hold a four-way meeting in the Egyptian coastal city of New Alamein on Sunday, with regional developments and the situation in the Horn of Africa expected to be at the centre of discussions.
The meeting will bring together Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudan’s Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
According to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, the meeting is part of “consultations and coordination on regional issues of shared interest” .
The Egyptian presidency did not provide further details on the specific issues to be discussed. However, the meeting comes amid heightened political and security tensions in the Horn of Africa.
Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have deteriorated in recent months, while Egypt and Ethiopia have also faced diplomatic tensions linked to broader regional issues.
The meeting also comes amid renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia. Hostilities erupted again in September in the Tigray region, with Ethiopian federal forces fighting an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), according to reports cited in the Somali media.
The fighting has also reportedly spread to parts of southern Tigray and neighbouring Afar, adding to concerns about the wider regional implications of the conflict.
The planned meeting comes as Somalia, Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan seek to coordinate on developments affecting the Horn of Africa and the wider Red Sea region.
Mustaqbal
