Egypt will host the leaders of Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia on Sunday for a four-way summit as renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia and a wave of diplomatic expulsions heighten regional tensions. The meeting will take place in New Alamein on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will meet Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudan’s Sovereign Council chairman, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Egypt’s presidency described the gathering as an opportunity to coordinate on regional issues of shared concern, without announcing a detailed agenda.
The summit follows a sharp deterioration in relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Addis Ababa ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave Thursday and announced the closure of its embassy in Eritrea, accusing the diplomats of activities threatening national security. Eritrea rejected the accusations and announced it was severing diplomatic ties.
Egypt and Ethiopia have also exchanged diplomatic expulsions. Cairo gave an Ethiopian diplomat 48 hours to leave after Addis Ababa expelled an Egyptian official. An Egyptian official described Ethiopia’s decision as unjustified and said Egypt’s response followed the principle of reciprocity, according to AFP.
The diplomatic confrontation comes amid renewed combat between Ethiopian federal forces and an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Fighting has spread into southern Tigray and neighboring Afar, raising concerns about the durability of the 2022 peace agreement that ended the previous war.
Ethiopian military leaders have accused Eritrea of supporting the Tigray rebels and suggested involvement by Sudan and Egypt. The allegations remain contested. Cairo has reiterated its rejection of interference in other countries’ internal affairs, while its longstanding dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam adds another source of tension.
Sunday’s talks form part of a broader African diplomatic gathering in New Alamein. Sisi is also scheduled to participate in the African Union’s eighth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, bringing together continental leaders and regional economic organizations for discussions on cooperation, development and integration.
