Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan call for dialogue as Ethiopia fighting escalates

The leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan called for peaceful political solutions to regional conflicts after meeting Sunday in Egypt’s New Alamein City, as renewed fighting intensified in northern Ethiopia.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan issued a joint declaration supporting Sudan’s territorial unity and a political process led by Sudanese parties. They also rejected recognition of Somaliland and said responsibility for Red Sea navigation and governance should remain with coastal states.

The declaration urged compliance with international law governing transboundary rivers and opposed unilateral measures that harm Egypt and Sudan’s existing water use. Both countries have long sought a binding agreement with Ethiopia over the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, while Ethiopia says the project is vital to its development and energy needs.

The meeting came as Ethiopian federal and allied forces retook Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region, after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front said it had temporarily withdrawn. The renewed conflict follows a 2022 peace agreement that ended a two-year war.

Ethiopia has accused Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan of supporting the armed alliance fighting federal forces; all three deny involvement. Eritrea, in turn, has accused Ethiopia of seeking a pretext for an attack. El-Sisi said cross-border challenges require cooperation and “dialogue, not confrontation.”