Egyptian, Eritrean, Somali and Sudanese leaders are also calling for talks to end the civil war in Sudan. Posted on October 5, 2026October 5, 2026 Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan have called for peaceful, political solutions amid escalating conflicts across the region, including Sudan’s civil war and major fighting in Ethiopia. The leaders of the four countries – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – issued a joint statement on Sunday following a meeting in the city of New Alamein in Egypt. Ethiopia has accused Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan of backing the armed alliance fighting its government. Officials from all three countries have denied involvement. Earlier on Sunday, el-Sisi said cross-border challenges required “dialogue, not confrontation.” The joint statement appeared to reject several policies pursued by Ethiopia in recent years, highlighting growing divisions between Addis Ababa and its neighbors. The statement endorsed Sudan’s military-led government and called for a political process led by Sudanese parties. Sudan has been at war since April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudan and Ethiopia have exchanged accusations of interference in Sudan’s civil war. The statement also says that control of the Red Sea should remain in the hands of coastal states, apparently in response to Ethiopia’s pursuit of sovereign access to the sea and a naval presence. Somalia’s Mohamud told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Mogadishu is not opposed to Ethiopia ensuring trade access through Somali ports, as long as it agrees with Somalia. of the Nile, warned against what they called “unilateral measures” that harm downstream states. The joint statement was issued as fighting intensified in Ethiopia between federal forces and an armed alliance of seven groups, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which fought a brutal two-year war with the government that ended with a fragile peace deal in 2022. The government and allied forces retook the city of Mekelle on Sunday after the TPLF said it had “temporarily withdrawn.” Tigray’s regional capital “will operate from another location.” According to Ethiopian state media reports, Tigray’s former interim leader Abraham Belay said on Sunday that the federal government is preparing a new temporary administration for the region and hopes to hold regional elections within a few months. Ethiopian officials have accused neighboring Eritrea of directly backing the rebel alliance in Ethiopia’s civil war. Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said in a post on X on Sunday that Addis Ababa was trying to create a pretext to attack Eritrea.
