Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi yesterday urged “dialogue, not confrontation” ahead of talks among African leaders as concerns grow that Ethiopia’s escalating violence could spill across borders.
Al-Sisi was due to meet the leaders of Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan in El-Alamein later in the day, with the Ethiopian conflict expected to feature prominently on the agenda.
Those three countries have strained relations with Addis Ababa, which has accused Eritrea of backing Tigray rebels with support from Sudan and Egypt, allegations all three nations deny.
Photo obtained by Reuters
Addressing the African Union’s mid-year coordination summit, Al-Sisi said Egypt opposed foreign interference in African states and called for relations to be based on “mutual respect, good neighborliness, dialogue and consultation, far from unilateral policies or narrow interests.”
Cross-border challenges “require cooperation, not competition, and dialogue, not confrontation,” including in managing natural resources and transboundary rivers in accordance with international law, he said.
The remarks come against the backdrop of Egypt’s long-running dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile.
Cairo and Khartoum have for years sought a legally binding agreement governing the dam’s operation, citing concerns over water security, while Ethiopia says the project is crucial to its economic development and energy needs.
Renewed fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region has revived fears of a return to the country’s devastating 2020-2022 civil war.
The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) launched attacks on federal forces last month and Ethiopian troops were reported yesterday to have taken full control of Mekelle, the regional capital.
The TPLF on Saturday said it had pulled out. It had done so in the previous two-year war, which ended with a peace agreement in 2022, apparently to spare the city from destruction.
Fighters loyal to the TPLF seized the airport on Sept. 23, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to suspend flights to Mekelle and the Tigrayan cities of Axum and Shire.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has tried and failed to subdue Tigray’s rebellious leaders over the past few months, with TPLF chairman Debretsion Gebremichael openly challenging him.
Debretsion on Thursday said the fighting was a “continuation of the previous war” and that his fighters would keep attacking and defending Tigray from its enemies.
After federal troops take control of Mekelle, Abiy is likely to leave regional security in the hands of the Tigray Peace Force, ACLED analyst for Ethiopia Jalale Getachew Birru said.
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