Four African leaders issue joint statement as Ethiopia conflict intensifies

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1322 EAT on Monday 5 October 2026

Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan have called for political and peaceful solutions to escalating conflicts in the region, including Sudan’s civil war and ongoing 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 declaration on Sunday following a meeting in New Alamein City, Egypt.

Ethiopia has accused Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan of backing an armed alliance fighting the government. Officials from all three countries have denied the allegations.

Earlier on Sunday, el-Sisi said cross-border challenges required “dialogue, not confrontation.”

The joint declaration appeared to push back against several policies pursued by Ethiopia in recent years, highlighting growing tensions between Addis Ababa and its neighbours.

The declaration expressed support for Sudan’s military-led government and called for a political process led by Sudanese parties.

Sudan has been embroiled in a war since April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudan and Ethiopia have traded accusations of interference in the conflict.

The declaration also stated that control of the Red Sea should remain with coastal states, apparently responding to landlocked Ethiopia’s efforts to secure sovereign access to the sea and establish a naval presence.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Mogadishu does not object to Ethiopia securing commercial access through Somali ports, provided the arrangement is agreed upon with Somalia.

The joint declaration came as fighting intensified in Ethiopia between federal forces and a seven-group armed alliance that includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

The TPLF fought a two-year war against the government that ended with a fragile peace agreement in 2022.

Government and allied forces retook the city of Mekelle on Sunday after the TPLF said it had “temporarily moved out of” the Tigray regional capital to “operate from somewhere else.”

According to Ethiopian state media, former Tigray interim leader Abraham Belay said on Sunday that the federal government was preparing a new temporary administration for the region and hoped to hold regional elections within months.

Ethiopian officials have accused neighbouring Eritrea of directly supporting the armed alliance fighting the government.

Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said in a post on X on Sunday that Addis Ababa was attempting to create a pretext for attacking Eritrea.

-Aljazeera

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