The leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan agreed to establish a regular mechanism for coordinating on regional security and reaffirmed their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their countries, according to a joint declaration issued after a summit in Egypt.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudan’s army chief and Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met in the city of El-Alamein on Sunday.
The four leaders said Red Sea governance should remain the responsibility of the region’s coastal states, while stressing the importance of ensuring freedom and safety of international navigation in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb strait.
They also agreed to strengthen coordination on regional security and discussed economic and development cooperation, including infrastructure, energy and trade, the declaration said.
On the Nile, the leaders stressed the need to respect international law and the principle of avoiding significant harm to other states. They called for prior notification, consultation and consensus on measures affecting the river and rejected unilateral actions that they said could harm the existing water uses of downstream states.
The declaration also reaffirmed support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and rejected interference in its internal affairs. The leaders said they did not recognise or support Somaliland, describing moves to do so as contrary to Somalia’s territorial integrity.
They also backed Somalia’s efforts to combat militant groups and called for predictable and sustainable international funding for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which is intended to help Somali forces gradually assume responsibility for national security.
On Sudan, the leaders reaffirmed their support for the country’s unity, sovereignty and state institutions and rejected the creation of parallel governing structures. They also called for the resumption of a Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led political process to end the conflict.
The summit comes as conflicts and political tensions continue to reshape the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region, with the Sudan war and instability in Somalia among the main regional security concerns.
The leaders also discussed ways to deepen economic and development cooperation, with a focus on infrastructure, energy and trade.
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