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Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan have called for political and peaceful solutions to conflicts in the region amid renewed fighting in Ethiopia and the continuing war in Sudan.
The four countries made the call in a joint declaration issued after a consultative summit in New Alamein City, Egypt, on Sunday.
The summit, as reported by Aljazeera, brought together Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council chairman General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The leaders reaffirmed the importance of respecting the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states and called for disputes to be resolved through peaceful means.
Read more: Ethiopia, Eritrea sever diplomatic ties as fighting escalates
The declaration backed Sudan’s national institutions and called for the resumption of a Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led political process to end the conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The war in Sudan has continued since April 2023, with the conflict creating a major humanitarian and security crisis.
The four countries also declared that governance of the Red Sea should remain the responsibility of its littoral states, a position that comes amid Ethiopia’s efforts to secure access to the Red Sea.
On the Nile, the leaders stressed the need to respect international law governing transboundary rivers and the principle of avoiding harm to downstream countries. They rejected unilateral measures that could adversely affect existing water uses of the two downstream Nile states.
The declaration comes amid heightened tensions between Ethiopia and its neighbours.
Ethiopia has accused Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan of supporting an armed alliance fighting the government, allegations the three countries have denied.
Fighting has also intensified in Ethiopia between federal forces and an alliance that includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Government-allied forces have since re-entered Mekelle, the Tigray regional capital, after the TPLF announced that it had temporarily withdrawn from the city.
The four leaders agreed to establish a mechanism to follow up on the summit’s decisions and to continue consultations and coordination on regional issues.
They also agreed that the consultative summit would be held periodically as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation among the four countries.
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