Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday that Egypt rejects “any external interference in the internal affairs of African countries,” calling for respect for states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Al-Sisi’s comments came during the opening of the African Union’s eighth mid-year coordination meeting in al-Alamein.
He also stressed that ties between states should be based on mutual respect, good neighborliness and dialogue, “away from unilateral policies or narrow interests.”
Al-Sisi noted that cross-border issues require cooperation rather than competition and dialogue rather than confrontation.
His comments came as the United States called for “restraint” and “dialogue” as Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis pulled in regional neighbors.
The fighting has triggered a breakdown in Ethiopia’s relations with Eritrea and Egypt, which it accuses of supporting the rebels who have launched attacks against federal forces, sparking fears of a return to the devastating civil war of 2020-2022.
A diplomatic source told AFP that Sunday’s mini-summit would bring together the presidents of Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as well as the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on the sidelines of an African Business Forum.
Al-Sisi held separate talks with al-Burhan
The meeting comes a day after Ethiopian federal forces entered the capital of Tigray state -- long dominated by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) rebels -- according to a humanitarian source.
Fighting erupted on September 23 in northern Ethiopia as the TPLF attacked neighboring states, saying they were once again in a “full-blown war” with the federal government.
Federal forces and pro-government militias have pushed them back in recent days and were heading north towards the regional capital, Mekelle.
The conflict has prompted a regional diplomatic feud, with Ethiopia expelling 10 Eritrean diplomats and shutting its embassy in Asmara on Thursday.
Eritrea, which accuses landlocked Ethiopia of planning to invade and seize access to its coastline, responded that it would "sever all diplomatic ties” with its neighbor.
Ethiopia also expelled an Egyptian diplomat without explanation, prompting a reciprocal move by Cairo.
“Increasing cross-border tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea have the potential to affect the entire region,” the US State Department said Saturday in a statement.
“We strongly urge Ethiopia and Eritrea to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their neighbors, exercise maximum restraint and return to dialogue and cooperation.”
The TPLF’s leader Debretsion Gebremichael said in a video message on Thursday that “the war is regional and it is a war to control the Red Sea.”
The TPLF has long been the dominant force in Tigray, ousting a government-appointed administration this year.
The rebels’ leader Debretsion implied on Thursday the group would continue guerrilla-style attacks as they did when Mekelle fell to government forces in 2020.
Their insurgent campaign ultimately led to the TPLF retaking the city in mid-2021.
“We operate under a strategy to strike the enemy wherever we choose,” Debretsion said.
The TPLF ruled all of Ethiopia from 1991 to 2018, when it was marginalized with the rise of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who hails from the Oromia region.
The tensions led to a civil war from 2020 to 2022 -- one of the deadliest in the world in recent times -- that left more than 600,000 dead, according to the African Union.
The Pretoria peace agreement of 2022, brokered by African institutions and Washington, maintained an uneasy calm until last year, but was never fully implemented.
- AFP