Somalia, Egypt and Eritrea Engage in Cairo Amid the Addis Détente

GOOBJOOG NEWS|CAIRO: Somalia, Eritrea, and Egypt held their first Joint Trilateral Ministerial Committee in Cairo Saturday as the three countries forge an alliance to promote mutual interests in the Horn of Africa.

According to statements from Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting aimed to ‘enhance joint action and raise the level of cooperation and coordination between the three countries in various fields.’

Egypt’s spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the meeting ‘aimed to enhance regional cooperation and promote security and stability in the Horn of Africa.

The meeting coincided with the crucial agreement in Addis Ababa between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to end the year-long diplomatic row and the full resumption of relations between the two countries.

The tripartite engagement in Cairo is partly a product of President Mohamud’s shuttle diplomacy during the era of cold relations with Addis Ababa in 2024 as Somalia sought support from neighbouring countries to fend off Addis Ababa’s intentions to secure a deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.

This resulted in the inclusion of Egyptian forces in the new African Union military outfit, which commenced operations in Somalia last week. Analysts say Egypt views its participation in Somalia as a move to checkmate Ethiopia over long-running dispute on the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

However, the softening and subsequent resumption of ties between Mogadishu and Addis signals the participation of Ethiopian troops in the new force. Somalia announced last week it will consider Ethiopia’s application for membership to the African Union Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) after previously rejecting it.