Horn of Africa: Sisi to host Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan in El-Alamein on October 4

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is bringing together Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and the head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in New Alamein on the Mediterranean coast of northern Egypt on October 4, 2026. According to PressAfrik, citing Anadolu Agency, and Bénin Web TV, this quadripartite summit is set to focus on "consultation and coordination" regarding regional issues of common interest.

The four leaders are expected to address collective security and stability in the region stretching from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and from the Gulf to the Nile Basin, according to Bénin Web TV. Bilateral talks between Sisi and each of his counterparts are also planned. The detailed program had not been made public at the time of the announcement. The Eritrean Ministry of Information confirmed Afwerki's departure for Egypt on the morning of October 3, 2026.

Four neighbors of Ethiopia around the same table

The composition of this summit speaks volumes about the current sequence of events. Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic relations in early October 2026, as reported by Al Jazeera and AllAfrica. Egypt and Ethiopia have mutually expelled diplomats against the backdrop of a persistent dispute over the Renaissance Dam. And since September 2026, fighting has resumed in northern Ethiopia between federal forces and an opposition alliance that includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front.

Addis Ababa accuses Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudan of supporting armed groups on its territory, according to Al Jazeera. An Egyptian official denied any involvement by his country in the internal Ethiopian crisis, reports the Rio Times African press review. The same document indicates that Ethiopia has set up a national committee tasked with calculating the losses related to more than twenty projects it believes have been blocked by Egypt, including the Renaissance Dam.

The African Union meeting on the same day, in the same place

The eighth mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union is also being held on October 4, 2026, in New Alamein, specifies Bénin Web TV. This calendar coincidence places continental diplomacy and this four-party summit in the same city, just hours apart.

The stakes are clear for the continent: will the Horn of Africa crisis be handled within African frameworks, such as the African Union and regional organizations, or will it be resolved through bilateral alignments between capitals? The coming hours, and the content of the communiqués published at the end of the two meetings, will provide an initial answer.