Thursday April 24, 2025

Mogadishu (HOL) — Egypt and Djibouti have declared that only countries bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden should be responsible for securing and managing the critical waterway as regional friction rises over maritime access.

The joint statement came during Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s one-day visit to Djibouti on Wednesday, where he held talks with Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh on regional security, trade routes, and growing geopolitical threats in the Horn of Africa.

“We reaffirmed our firm opposition to any actions that threaten the security or freedom of navigation in international trade corridors,” el-Sissi said at a joint press briefing, underscoring Cairo and Djibouti’s shared commitment to maritime stability.

Guelleh echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic chokepoint linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. “We support free maritime trade and greater coordination between regional states to protect this vital passage,” he said.

The leaders also discussed developments in Somalia and Sudan, as well as Ethiopia’s push to secure direct access to the Red Sea—a position that has heightened tensions with Egypt and other coastal states.

Cairo has expressed deep concern over Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s repeated statements portraying the Red Sea as essential to Ethiopia’s national survival. “The Red Sea and the Nile are Ethiopia’s defining natural assets,” Abiy said last year, arguing for Ethiopian port access.

The declaration resonates strongly with Somalia, which has found itself at the center of a Red Sea controversy since Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland in January 2024, which would grant it access to a 20-kilometer stretch of Red Sea coastline. The move drew widespread condemnation from Mogadishu and sparked alarm in Cairo.

Somalia and Ethiopia signed the Ankara Declaration in December 2024 following mediation by Turkey. The agreement aimed to reduce tensions and restore diplomatic relations, with both sides committing to negotiations on commercial port access under Somalia’s sovereign framework. Technical talks are ongoing, with a final framework expected later this year.

The rising tensions have revived questions on control over the Red Sea’s strategic lanes. Egypt, which has long expressed concern over Ethiopia’s ambitions—especially amid the protracted Nile dam dispute—has doubled down on its stance that only littoral states have jurisdiction over Red Sea governance. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reiterated that the Red Sea must remain under the authority of its neighbouring countries, warning that outside interference could destabilize the region.

Somalia’s strategic coastline along the Gulf of Aden and proximity to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait gives it an important stake in maritime security. However, piracy off Somalia’s coast has shown signs of resurgence in recent months. In late 2024, EU naval patrols reported suspicious activity off the Somali coast, raising fears of renewed threats to shipping lanes.

Somalia has responded by working to reinforce its maritime domain. Federal officials have reiterated that all port access agreements must be approved through the central government. “Somalia may grant port access, but we do not transfer ownership or sovereignty,” a government spokesperson said earlier this year.

The Red Sea is one of the busiest maritime corridors in the world, and as competition grows between the Horn of Africa and Gulf nations, Egypt and Djibouti have positioned themselves as leading voices defending regional control over the vital waterway.