By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
AL-ALAMEIN 5 October 2026 – The leaders of Egypt, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan held a four-way summit in the Egyptian city of Al-Alamein on Sunday and issued a joint declaration on the Red Sea, the Nile, Somalia's unity and the situation in Sudan.
The summit was hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attended by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council.
The declaration backed Somalia's unity and sovereignty, rejecting any interference or measures targeting the country's territorial integrity. The four countries also rejected any recognition of or support for Somaliland, describing it as a violation of Somalia's sovereignty.
The leaders supported the Somali government's efforts to fight terrorism and called on regional and international partners to provide adequate and sustainable funding for the African Union's AUSSOM mission, to ensure an orderly handover of security to Somali forces.
On the Red Sea, the declaration affirmed the principle of freedom of navigation and stated that governance of the sea is the exclusive responsibility of its coastal states.
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On the Nile, the leaders stressed respect for international law on transboundary rivers, particularly the principle of causing no harm, and said cooperation must be based on prior notification, consultation and consensus. They rejected any unilateral action that harms the water uses of Egypt and Sudan. Most of the Nile's waters originate in Ethiopia, which has built a dam on the river that Egypt opposes.
The summit backed Sudan's unity and national institutions and rejected the creation of parallel entities. It encouraged the resumption of a Sudanese-led political process and rejected any support for mercenaries.
The four countries agreed to establish a permanent mechanism to follow up on the summit's outcomes, which will meet periodically and whenever circumstances require.
Although the declaration did not name Ethiopia directly, the summit comes as Ethiopia is embroiled in a war in Tigray where heavy fighting has been under way since 23 September. Ethiopia's government has accused Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan of playing a role.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has previously accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the TPLF-led opposition alliance. This week, Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara, while Eritrea announced it was severing diplomatic ties.