The Egyptian government will host three-way talks between Somalia, Eritrea, and Egypt on Saturday to strengthen security cooperation and relations in the Horn of Africa region, according to Egyptian media.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Dr. Badr Abdelatty will preside over the meeting attended by his Somali counterpart, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, and Osman Saleh Mohamed from Eritrea. These tripartite meetings are a continuation of the agreements reached at the Asmara summit in October 2024, which focused on strengthening regional stability, protecting the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb waterways, and promoting had economic cooperation.
The leaders of Egypt, Somalia, and Eritrea agreed in October to strengthen cooperation, after Ethiopia signed a controversial agreement with the Somaliland administration. The agreement allowed Ethiopia to build a military base on the coast of Somaliland, a move that the Somali government rejected.
The Turkish government reconciled the governments of Somalia and Ethiopia in December 2024, after Addis Ababa agreed to withdraw from the agreement with Somaliland, and allow Somali ports to be used by a bilateral international agreement. However, the remaining conflicts highlight the political challenges of the region.
Tomorrow’s meeting in Cairo will focus on protecting the important trade routes of the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb, fighting piracy, and controlling illegal smuggling.
The Minister of Defense of Somalia, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, is also in Cairo, where he is having private meetings with his Egyptian counterpart. These meetings focus on Egypt’s role in the African Union Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and the possibility of using Egyptian forces in Somalia’s peacekeeping efforts.
It is expected that further talks between Somalia and Egypt will be held in the middle of next week to finalize the details of the military cooperation and strategic plans needed.
