The leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan have issued a joint declaration calling for political and peaceful solutions to escalating regional conflicts, reports Al Jazeera.
The joint statement was released following a quadrilateral summit held in New Alamein City, Egypt, on Sunday.
The meeting was attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The four-nation declaration backed Sudan’s military-led government and called for a political process led by Sudanese parties to resolve the civil war that erupted in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Both Sudan and Ethiopia have traded accusations of interference in the conflict.
The statement also highlighted widening rifts between Addis Ababa and its neighbours, pushing back against several policies pursued by Ethiopia in recent years.
Regarding maritime governance, the leaders affirmed that control of the Red Sea should remain with coastal states, seemingly reacting to landlocked Ethiopia’s pursuit of sovereign sea access and a naval presence.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Al Jazeera that Mogadishu does not object to Ethiopia securing commercial access through Somali ports, provided it is agreed with Somalia.
Furthermore, Egypt and Sudan, long in dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile, warned against “unilateral measures” that harm downstream states.
The declaration coincided with escalating hostilities in Ethiopia between federal forces and a seven-group armed alliance including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Ethiopian forces recently retook Tigray’s regional capital, Mekelle, after the TPLF stated it “temporarily moved out” to operate elsewhere.
Former Tigray interim leader Abraham Belay reported that the federal government is preparing a new temporary administration to hold regional elections within months.
Ethiopia has accused Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudan of backing the armed rebel alliance, a charge denied by officials from all three countries.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel claimed Addis Ababa was creating a pretext for an attack, while Egyptian President el-Sisi urged that cross-border challenges require “a dialogue, not confrontation”.
