A high-level Egyptian delegation discusses developments in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa in Eritrea

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati and General Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel discussed with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, on Saturday, developments in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.

This came during a visit by Kamel and Abdel-Ati to the Eritrean capital, Asmara, according to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the statement, the two Egyptian officials met with President Afwerki and conveyed to him a message from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

The statement added that Sisi's message to Afwerki "addressed 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."

He pointed out that Kamel and Abdel-Ati "listened to President Afwerki's 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."

Navigation in the Red Sea has been in a state of instability since November 2023, as a result of the Houthi group’s attacks on what it says are cargo ships belonging to Israel and the countries supporting it, as part of a solidarity movement with the Gaza Strip in the face of the Israeli war that has been ongoing since October 7.

Kamel and Abdel-Ati also listened from Afwerki to "the developments in the Horn of Africa, the challenges facing the region, and ways to enhance security and stability there."

The two sides agreed, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement, on "the importance of intensifying efforts and continuing consultations to achieve stability in Sudan and support the national state institutions there, as well as preserving the unity of Somalia and its sovereignty over all its territories."

Kamel and Abdel-Ati's unannounced visit comes amid tensions between Ethiopia on the one hand and Egypt and Somalia on the other.

In late August, Ethiopia accused Egypt of providing military aid to Somalia, considering that this "amounts to foreign interference" that could cause "destabilization in the Horn of Africa."

This came one day after Somalia announced the arrival of Egyptian military equipment and delegations to the capital, Mogadishu, in preparation for their participation "in the African Union peacekeeping forces in Somalia (AMISOM), which is scheduled to replace the current African Union Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) by January 2025."

Relations between Somalia and Ethiopia have deteriorated since Ethiopia signed an agreement with the breakaway region of "Somaliland" to use its coasts for commercial and military purposes in early January 2023, amid Somali Arab rejection of the move, led by Egypt, as a "violation of the sovereignty" of Mogadishu.

There are also differences between Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the “Renaissance Dam” that the latter is building on one of the most important water resources of the Nile River, the main source of water in Egypt, and the Entebbe Agreement regarding the distribution of Nile water shares, which both Cairo and Khartoum reject as it affects their historical shares of the river’s water.

Source: Anadolu Agency