NEW ALAMEIN, Egypt — Leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan issued a joint declaration after a quadrilateral summit on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, calling for political solutions to regional wars even as fighting intensified in Ethiopia and Sudan’s civil war continued, Al Jazeera and The National reported.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hosted Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in New Alamein City on Sunday. The El Alamein Joint Declaration backed a Sudanese-led political process under the army-led authorities, rejected parallel governments and mercenaries in Sudan, opposed recognition of Somaliland, and insisted that Red Sea security remain the responsibility of coastal states.
The document also warned against “unilateral measures” on the Nile that harm downstream Egypt and Sudan — phrasing widely interpreted as a rebuke of Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam — without naming Addis Ababa. El-Sisi said cross-border challenges required “dialogue, not confrontation.” Somalia’s president told Al Jazeera that Mogadishu does not object to Ethiopian commercial access through Somali ports if arrangements are negotiated with Somalia.
Ethiopia has accused Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan of backing a seven-group armed alliance fighting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government; officials from all three countries deny involvement. Over the weekend, Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters entered Mekelle after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it had “temporarily moved out” of the regional capital. Eritrea’s information minister accused Addis Ababa of fabricating a pretext to attack Eritrea.
Regional analysts said the summit advertised a tighter alignment among Red Sea and Nile states wary of Ethiopian power projection, from dam diplomacy to talk of a sovereign naval outlet. How far the four capitals will coordinate military or economic pressure remained unclear. The declaration offered little operational detail even as aid groups warned that renewed Tigray fighting and Sudan’s war were driving fresh displacement.
Sources: Al Jazeera, The National, Eritrea Ministry of Information
—
