Date: Thursday, 19 September 2024
The two Egyptian officials held a meeting with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, during which they conveyed a message from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi “dealing with ways to support and develop bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields, in addition to following up on political and security developments in the region,” according to an official statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Egypt and Eritrea agreed on the “importance of intensifying efforts and continuing consultations to achieve stability in Sudan, support national state institutions, and preserve the unity and sovereignty of Somalia over all its territories,” according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
During the meeting, the Eritrean President presented his "vision regarding developments in the Red Sea, in light of the importance of providing favorable conditions for restoring normal maritime navigation and international trade through the Bab al-Mandab Strait."
Afwerki also reviewed "developments in the Horn of Africa, the challenges facing the region, and ways to enhance security and stability there."
Egyptian Intelligence Chief and Foreign Minister Visit Eritrea (Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Facebook)The visit comes at a time of rising tensions between Egypt and Somalia on the one hand, and Ethiopia on the other, after Addis Ababa signed an agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland earlier this year, allowing it to use the region’s Red Sea coasts for commercial and military purposes. Somalia rejected the deal, amid Arab and Egyptian support, as Cairo signed a joint defense agreement with Mogadishu.
Tensions then escalated, and Somalia announced at the end of last August that “Egyptian military equipment and delegations had arrived in the capital, Mogadishu, as part of Egypt’s participation in peacekeeping forces,” which Addis Ababa opposed, vowing that it “would not stand idly by.”
For his part, the Vice President of the Egyptian Council for African Affairs, Ambassador Salah Halima, pointed out that the visit of the two Egyptian officials to Eritrea "has a security and political dimension." He said that "the visit aims to strengthen the Egyptian presence in the Horn of Africa, and coordinate positions between Cairo and Asmara in order to achieve security and stability in the region."
Halima added that "the visit gains its importance in light of several files, most notably the tensions in navigation in the Red Sea and their repercussions on the Suez Canal, in addition to the situation in Sudan and developments in the crisis between Somalia and Ethiopia."
The security and political dimension that Halima referred to is primarily related to “coordinating positions between Cairo and Asmara, in the face of the threat posed by the recent Ethiopian moves to the security of the Horn of Africa,” referring to the “memorandum of understanding” between Addis Ababa and the “Somaliland” region, which “was rejected by Egypt and the Arab world.” He said that “Eritrea is one of the countries affected by the Ethiopian moves, as are the rest of the countries in the Horn of Africa region.”
Major General Abbas Kamel and Dr. Badr Abdel Aati in Asmara (Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Facebook)Dr. Amani El-Taweel, Director of the African Program at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, agreed with him and said, “The Egyptian move towards Eritrea is expected in light of Ethiopian policies that constitute an attack on Somalia’s sovereignty and a threat to security in the Horn of Africa.”
She stressed that "the visit is important to enhance the Egyptian presence in the Horn of Africa and coordinate positions in the face of Addis Ababa, which is adopting the conflict mechanism as a basis for its interactions in the region." She noted "the importance of the Bab al-Mandab region for Egyptian national security and its impact on the economy and navigation in the Red Sea."
Tensions in the Red Sea region escalated at the end of last November, when the Yemeni Houthi group targeted ships passing through the waterway, “in response to the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.” These attacks prompted global shipping companies to change their course, avoiding the Red Sea, which had repercussions on the economy and global trade, and caused a decline in revenues from the Egyptian Suez Canal.
Last August, the Egyptian president received Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh to discuss “regional situations, particularly with regard to issues and threats in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.” The two sides affirmed “their keenness to continue joint coordination and consultation at various levels, in a manner that supports security and stability in the Horn of Africa region,” according to an official statement from the Egyptian presidency at the time.
Arrival of the head of Egyptian intelligence and the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Asmara (Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Facebook)The Eritrean president visited Egypt last February, where he held talks with Sisi on enhancing cooperation between the two countries, in addition to “developments in regional situations, most notably the developments in the Red Sea.” The two presidents stressed “the importance of not escalating and containing the situation due to the dangerous developments the region is witnessing.” The past period witnessed several meetings between Sisi and Afwerki, which generally emphasized enhancing bilateral cooperation and coordination to address the issues of the Horn of Africa, including a meeting on the sidelines of the “Arab-Islamic” summit held in Riyadh last November. Afwerki also participated in the summit of Sudan’s neighboring countries hosted by Egypt last July.
