Eritrea and Egypt Discuss Security Ties Amidst Regional Tensions

President Afwerki met with Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, in 2019  (Wikimedia Commons).

According to Al Jazeera, the head of Egypt’s General Intelligence (GIS), Abbas Kamel, visited the Eritrean capital Asmara and met with the country’s long-standing dictator Isaias Afwerki on September 14, 2024. According to the Egyptian state media organization, The State Information Service, the two discussed bilateral ties, freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, and geopolitical tensions in neighboring Sudan and the Horn of Africa.

This meeting comes after international concerns over maritime security in the Red Sea following Houthi attacks on global trade beginning in 2023. The leaders also considered Ethiopia’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Somali breakaway region Somaliland, according to BBC. Daily News Egypt reports that they emphasized the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Somalia in response to Ethiopia’s recent dealings with Somaliland. 

Another challenge addressed at the meeting was the growing discord between Ethiopia and Egypt over the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which threatens Egypt’s water supply, according to BBC. Kamel and Afwerki stressed the importance of cooperation between their countries to restore control over the Bab El Mandeb strait, which Yemen and Eritrea jointly hold, to promote stability in the Red Sea. They also discussed the possibility of an Egyptian-led multinational force taking up residence at a former UAE-leased base in the strategically located city of Assab, according to a pro-Eritrean government blog, Tesfanews.

These negotiations with Eritrea are part of a much larger Egyptian diplomatic offensive in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the last two years, Egypt has signed similar deals with other countries in East Africa, particularly Somalia and Djibouti, in an attempt to isolate the government of Abiy Ahmed in Ethiopia, according to The National. The Washington Post reports that the country previously endured a two year civil war that enabled Mr. Ahmed to consolidate power domestically. Since then, Ethiopia has begun to look back outwards toward its neighbors.

While Eritrea cooperated with the Ethiopian government to fight rebel groups, specifically the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), disputes have arisen between the erstwhile partners. Notably, Ahmed has accused Eritrea of derailing the peace deal between Ethiopia and the TPLF, according to Foreign Policy; furthermore, last year in a speech to the Ethiopian Parliament, Ahmed emphasized the importance of Ethiopia regaining access to the Red Sea. This goal has been partially realized by the MOU with Somaliland, which gave Ethiopia access to a stretch of the country’s coastline.

The possibility of an expansionist Ethiopia has sparked fears in the Red Sea countries, particularly Eritrea, which was part of Ethiopia until it gained independence in 1991. These fears, coupled with Egypt’s current rivalry with Ethiopia over the GERD, have fostered a natural partnership between Cairo and the countries of the Horn of Africa.