Horn of Africa Tensions Rise: Somalia, Egypt, and Eritrea Form Alliance Against Ethiopia's Red Sea Strategy

ASMARA, Eritrea -Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the president of Egypt, is set to arrive in Asmara any moment from now, where Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is meeting Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki, for a bilateral meeting regarding trade and security in the Horn of Africa.

The three leaders are set to discuss possibilities of forming regional alliances according to diplomatic sources, which could further trigger anxiety within the Horn of Africa given Ethiopia's feuds with Somalia and Egypt.

Analysts say that el-Sisi's visit underscores Egypt's commitment to enhancing security and economic cooperation amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions with Ethiopia. This will be the first time the three leaders are jointly meeting.

On Wednesday, Afwerki and Hassan Sheikh agreed to foster relations between the two countries, while appreciating the need to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of individual states that could be threatened.

"The two leaders underscored the imperative of further bolstering the bilateral cooperation of the two sisterly countries in the heavy tasks of the maintenance of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, and unity of Somalia; which remains a prerequisite for its development against the backdrop of enormous challenges in the past two decades

"In this context, the two leaders noted that building a strong and developed nation is invariably predicated on robust and sovereign institutions, including a viable defense and security architecture," said Eritrea Information Minister Yemane Meskel.

"Eritrea's modest contribution in the training of the Somali national army is aligned with these policy objectives and the two sides agreed to expand their cooperation in other relevant areas to address other challenges of nation-building," he added.

Ethiopia is accused of signing an agreement with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia that would see it getting 20 kilometers of the Red Sea in exchange for recognition of the breakaway state as a sovereign nation, against the wishes of Somalia.

Despite insisting on the implementation of the agreement, Ethiopia, which is also facing stiff opposition from Egypt over the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam, maintains that it is open to finding an amicable solution on commercial access to the sea without creating conflicts.

“The government is always ready to talk to any side peacefully, be it individually or collectively,” said Taye Atske, the new president. But Taye also emphasized the government is determined to take legal action against individuals and groups who carry out activities that damage the solidarity and value of “our people, those who threaten public unity and social life and who turn people against each other through hate speech.”

Egypt and Somalia signed a military pact that has caused discomfort in Addis Ababa, which among others acknowledged the need to supply Mogadishu with military hardware. Already, weapons have been discharged to Somalia.

GAROWE ONLINE