Egypt Gathers Ethiopia's Three Neighbours. Somalia Then Offers a Port.

Sisi convened the leaders of Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia at New Alamein. Days later Somalia's president said Ethiopia may reach the sea through Somali territory, and Addis issued a statement on the Nile and the Red Sea.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi convened the leaders of three of Ethiopia's neighbours at New Alamein, bringing Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia to the same table without Ethiopia present.

Tikvah named those attending as Sisi; Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, flown to Egypt on an Egyptian aircraft; Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud; and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Transitional Council. The meeting closed with a joint statement. Tikvah read the statement's language on regional stability as cover for a position aimed at Ethiopia; that is the outlet's characterisation, not a claim in the statement itself.

Somalia breaks from the frame

What the Somali president said next does not fit the grouping. In an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, 3 October, during the same visit to Egypt, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said his government is prepared to let Ethiopia reach the sea through Somali territory, including the use of Somali ports for imports and exports.

That is the single most consequential sentence of the week for an Ethiopian importer. Ethiopia moves the overwhelming share of its trade through Djibouti, and the concentration is a standing cost and a standing risk. A second corridor, even as an offer, changes the negotiating picture.

Addis answers in writing

Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on 5 October tying its interests in the Nile basin and the Red Sea to geography and history, and saying those realities should be reflected in regional discussions on water management, maritime affairs and security. The ministry said Ethiopia is the source of more than 85 percent of the Nile's water volume.

Open

No terms accompanied the Somali offer — no port named, no corridor, no timetable, nothing on who would build or finance access. Ethiopia has not responded to it publicly. The New Alamein joint statement has not been published in full.

Sources: Tikvah Ethiopia, 5 October 2026, Birr Metrics, 5 October 2026, Birr Metrics, 5 October 2026, Fana Television, 5 October 2026