The visit of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to Egypt and his meeting with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi comes as a fundamental point in the Egyptian dealings with  the countries of the Horn of Africa  (Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, and Ethiopia). This visit also comes in the wake of the visit of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on January 21. Al-Mady headed a high-level delegation at the invitation of the president to discuss tensions in the century, especially Ethiopian violations of Somali lands.

Perhaps these successive visits to these countries come within the framework of the new strategy that Cairo has pursued since its positive engagement in  the African continent , and its pledge and leadership of the  Silencing the Guns initiative  since 2020, which includes mechanisms to end conflicts and wars in the African continent and aims to reach final agreements with the parties to the conflicts throughout the continent by stopping the firing. Fire, as well as initiatives for dialogue between all parties.

The meetings of African leaders with the Egyptian leadership also demonstrate their confidence in Cairo’s power, and Egypt’s pivotal role in the African continent in order to reduce tensions and not provoke crises, and support the brothers, and its goal is to unify decisions between Cairo and the countries of the Horn of Africa to stop any threats or hostilities it faces.

Within the framework of the efforts of the political leadership to achieve security and safety on the African continent, Cairo continues to coordinate with the countries of the Horn of Africa to reduce the tension resulting from  Ethiopian ambitions in the territory of Somalia  (the Somaliland region of Somaliland), which is a breakaway region that announced its secession from Mogadishu in 1991 in a unilateral step and a measure that it did not recognize. The international community, and therefore the countries of the world rejected the alleged agreement.

Cairo and the international community, including the countries of the African continent, strongly rejected Ethiopian violations of its lands, after signing a surprise agreement with the leader of Somaliland, Musa Bihi Abdi, granting Ethiopia, for a period of 50 years, a 20-kilometre-long access to the Red Sea, which includes, in particular, the port of Berbera and a military base. In exchange for Addis Ababa officially recognizing Somaliland as an independent republic.

In this context, the Eritrean President Sisi discussed the developments taking place in the Horn of Africa, where they agreed on the necessity of respecting the sovereignty of the State of Somalia and supporting it in rejecting all measures that would diminish this sovereignty. The situation in Sudan was also discussed and the importance of continuing joint work was emphasized. Between Egypt and Eritrea, within the framework of the path of neighboring countries, in order to reach serious solutions to the crisis that lead to a ceasefire, which will put an end to the human suffering that the brotherly Sudanese people are going through, and meet their aspirations and hopes for achieving security, stability and development.

Discussions also dealt with the regional situation, most notably developments in the Red Sea, where the two presidents discussed the serious security developments taking place in this region, and stressed the importance of non-escalation and containing the situation. The need to reach an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in a way that paves the way for full and sustainable humanitarian access was also stressed. for the Gaza Strip, and launching the path of a two-state solution and establishing an independent Palestinian state in accordance with approved international references.

The advisor, Dr., said: Ahmed Fahmy, the official spokesman for the Presidency of the Republic, said that the discussions between the two presidents included affirming the interest of both sides in continuing to develop bilateral relations in order to achieve a shift in the level and depth of cooperation between the two sides in various economic, commercial and security fields. The discussions focused on stimulating trade exchange between the two countries and enhancing the investment flow by supporting the presence of... Egyptian companies in the Eritrean market in sectors of interest and priority to both sides, and in which Egyptian companies enjoy comparative advantages and accumulated experience