Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia issued the El Alamein Joint Declaration on 5 October 2026 following a quadrilateral consultative summit in New Alamein, asserting collective positions on Red Sea governance, state sovereignty, and Nile water rights under international law. The declaration signals a coordinated regional pushback against external interference and unilateral actions that the four nations say threaten stability in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea corridor.

Key Declarations from the Summit

The four leaders firmly rejected interference in the internal affairs of regional states 'under any pretext', and affirmed that governance of the Red Sea is the exclusive responsibility of its littoral states. They also rejected any recognition of or support for the so-called 'Somaliland', underlining the principle of territorial integrity as non-negotiable.

On Sudan, the declaration explicitly backed the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national institutions of the Republic of Sudan, rejecting the establishment of any parallel entities — a pointed reference to ongoing conflict and fragmentation pressures inside the country.

Nile Water Rights: A Sharp Message to Ethiopia

The declaration devoted considerable attention to transboundary river governance, stressing adherence to international law — specifically the principle of 'no harm' — and the obligation to cooperate through prior notification, consultation, and consensus. The four nations categorically rejected 'any unilateral measures that harm the existing water uses of the two downstream Nile states.'

This language is widely understood as directed at Ethiopia and its continued filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Egypt and Sudan have long argued threatens their Nile water allocations. The inclusion of this language in a multilateral declaration — rather than bilateral Egyptian or Sudanese statements — marks a notable escalation in diplomatic coordination.

Leaders Present at New Alamein

The summit was attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council. Discussions covered regional and international developments and pathways to deepen political, economic, trade, and cultural cooperation among the four countries.

Egypt's Broader Regional Strategy

The summit comes amid intensifying Egyptian efforts to build a coalition of Horn of Africa and Red Sea littoral states around shared security and sovereignty concerns. Cairo has increasingly positioned itself as a stabilising actor in the region, cultivating ties with Mogadishu and Asmara as part of a broader diplomatic push that also touches on its longstanding dispute with Addis Ababa over Nile waters.

Notably, the quadrilateral format itself is a development — bringing together states with historically complex bilateral relationships under a unified declaration framework signals that common threats are, at least for now, outweighing bilateral frictions.

What Comes Next

The declaration's practical impact will depend on whether the four nations translate its language into coordinated diplomatic action at forums such as the African Union and the United Nations. The explicit rejection of Somaliland recognition and of parallel entities in Sudan suggests the group may lobby collectively against recognition bids in international bodies. Observers will also watch whether the Nile water provisions prompt a formal response from Ethiopia or accelerate multilateral negotiations on GERD.