Sisi Hosts Four-Way Summit in Alamein to Coordinate Regional Strategy Across the Red Sea

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hosted on Sunday, 4 October, a four-way consultative summit in New Alamein, bringing together Eritrea’s President, Somalia’s President, and Sudan’s First Vice President and Head of the Transitional Sovereignty Council.

Egypt’s presidency said the meeting was convened to strengthen coordination and cooperation among the four countries, and to address developments across Africa and the Red Sea, along with changes related to African and regional issues of shared concern.

The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to continued consultation as they faced multiple common regional challenges. They stressed their respect for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of states, support for national institutions, rejection of interference in internal affairs, and an approach to settling disputes through peaceful means.

In that context, President el-Sisi reviewed Egypt’s efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire and pursuing comprehensive political settlements that preserve the capabilities of peoples, restore security and stability, and enable reconstruction, while also warning against external interventions that prolong conflicts and worsen humanitarian suffering.

The President also underscored Egypt’s rejection of any attempt to undermine the unity of states, framing such actions as a clear violation of international law, the United Nations Charter, and the African Union’s Constitutive Act.

The official statement added that the leaders exchanged views on the broader situation in the Horn of Africa, emphasizing the need to intensify coordination and consultation to tackle shared challenges and to protect regional security and stability, while enhancing prospects for development and economic integration among countries in the region.

The summit also highlighted the necessity of upholding international legal rules governing transboundary rivers, including the Nile, particularly the principles of non-harm and cooperation through prior notification, consultation, and agreement with downstream countries, alongside a complete rejection of any unilateral measures that would harm existing water uses of the two downstream states.

Egypt’s official statement claims the participating leaders expressed appreciation for President el-Sisi’s initiative to convene the consultative summit, praising Egypt’s historical and distinguished relations with the other countries.

In addition to diplomatic and legal themes, the leaders reaffirmed the need to ensure security and stability in the Red Sea and to protect the freedom and safety of international navigation in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.

The leaders’ gathering in Egypt, following separate meetings that President el-Sisi held with the other counterparts over Saturday and Sunday, was framed by international reporting against a backdrop of accusations involving Ethiopia and claims by Addis Ababa that Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudan supported an opposition alliance, allegations the three countries denied.

The summit took place as Ethiopia faced diplomatic tensions in the region, including expulsions of diplomats between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the closure of Ethiopia’s embassy in Eritrea.

Beyond these developments, the leaders also addressed long-running disputes connected to the Nile, Ethiopia’s position, and regional security dynamics involving the Red Sea corridor and neighboring states that share an uninterrupted coastline with Ethiopia.