Leaders of Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia signal new regional alliance

The leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia have indicated the formation of a new regional alliance to bolster their countries' influence in the Horn of Africa and ensure regional security. The four leaders met in Egypt's Alamein city on Sunday for the first time, addressing challenges such as water disputes, civil wars, and insurgent threats.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Sudan's de facto leader Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki discussed various issues during their meeting. They agreed to support Sudan's territorial unity, reject "parallel identities" and foreign "mercenaries," and maintain control over the Red Sea's freedom of navigation and governance.

The statement emphasized the importance of respecting international laws governing transnational rivers, including the Nile. The four nations rejected unilateral actions harming existing water usage by Egypt and Sudan. Ethiopia accused the three nations of aiding an anti-government rebellion led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which they deny.

While the alliance statement did not mention Ethiopia or Israel, it signaled the creation of a loose alliance with potential implications for the strategic area's geopolitics. Egypt, with the largest army in the Middle East, and military presence in Somalia, has been forging strong ties with Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia. Its military is primarily focused on isolating Ethiopia and pressuring it to reconsider its stance on the Nile water dispute.

The alliance formation comes at a time when Egypt is in a dispute with Ethiopia over Nile water shares, while Sudan and Ethiopia are embroiled in civil wars, and Somalia grapples with an ongoing insurgency. The leaders' actions demonstrate their determination to address regional security concerns and influence the geopolitical landscape of the Horn of Africa.