Thursday October 10, 2024
FILE - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pictured during a press conference.
Mogadishu (HOL) — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is set to arrive in Asmara, Eritrea, on Thursday to participate in a trilateral summit with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The high-level talks aim to enhance security cooperation and address shared challenges in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.
A major focus of the summit will be the formation of a new trilateral alliance to address shared challenges, particularly Ethiopia's growing influence in the Horn of Africa. The leaders will discuss security cooperation, especially in light of Eritrea's strategic position along the Red Sea and its history of regional rivalries with Ethiopia. The talks are expected to cover recent escalations over Ethiopia's access to the Red Sea and naval ambitions in Somaliland.
This meeting builds on recent high-level engagements between Egypt, Eritrea, and Somalia. President Mohamud arrived in Asmara on Wednesday in preparation for the summit, following his fourth official state visit to Eritrea since 2022. Somali forces trained in Eritrea have played a critical role in Somalia's efforts to counter Al-Shabaab militants, a factor that has drawn Eritrea closer to Somalia.
In recent months, Egypt has significantly increased its military aid to Somalia through its defence pact, with two major arms shipments delivered to Mogadishu, including anti-aircraft guns and artillery. Cairo's growing influence in Somalia has drawn sharp criticism from Ethiopia, which views the emerging alliance as a threat to its interests, particularly after Ethiopia's controversial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland.