Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia close ranks on the Horn

Cairo — The presidents of Egypt, Somalia and Eritrea and the head of Sudan's Transitional Council have agreed a set of shared positions on the Horn of Africa, the Vatican's Fides news agency reports. They met at El Alamein, on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, on 4 October.

A short statement set out five principles:

• respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity under international law;
• respect for Sudan's territorial integrity and support for its institutions;
• respect for Somalia's territorial integrity and support for its fight against terrorism;
• freedom of navigation in the Red Sea;
• cooperation on river waters, the Nile above all.

The shared concern

Fides describes Ethiopia as the main worry of all four, each for its own reason.

• Egypt has long objected to Ethiopia's great dam on the Nile, arguing that it could reduce the water reaching a country where most people live along the river.
• Sudan's Transitional Council, which is aligned with the army in the civil war, has accused Ethiopia of supporting the rival Rapid Support Forces. Addis Ababa rejects that.
• Eritrea's concern is tied to the new fighting in Tigray.
• Somalia objects to Ethiopia's interest in the port of Berbera in Somaliland, the self-declared state in its north. Ethiopia has no coastline and currently reaches the sea through Djibouti. Mogadishu sees dealings with Somaliland as support for secession.

The statement's backing for Somalia signals that the countries present will not support Somaliland's bid for independence.

Not yet an alliance

The agency's assessment is that the meeting showed interests converging but stopped short of an alliance. That, it suggests, would only take shape if security in the region worsened sharply, in which case the existing conflicts could merge.

This report is based on reporting by Agenzia Fides, via AllAfrica.