Egypt Warns Israeli Red Sea Access and Somaliland Recognition Pose Major Security Threat

CAIRO — Egypt has warned that any attempt by Israel to gain access to the Red Sea or to recognize Somaliland would constitute a serious threat to regional and Egyptian national security, according to officials familiar with recent high-level discussions.

The position was agreed during talks held a day earlier between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, amid growing geopolitical tensions in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea basin.

Egypt is already under mounting pressure from the impact of Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River, a project Cairo considers an existential threat. Officials say the situation has left Egypt struggling to manage multiple files directly affecting its core national security, particularly those linked to water security, regional influence, and strategic maritime routes.

In this context, Egyptian officials view the prospect of Israeli involvement in the Red Sea region — combined with Ethiopia’s growing access to critical sea lanes — as a potentially destabilizing development that could further undermine Egypt’s strategic position.

Separately, security in the Red Sea was also discussed during talks held on Tuesday between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. According to sources briefed on the meeting, the discussions focused on safeguarding maritime security and assessing the risks posed by the increasing involvement of non-regional actors in the waterway, which is vital to global trade and regional stability.

The Red Sea has gained renewed strategic importance amid shifting alliances, competition for ports and bases, and heightened military and diplomatic activity across the Horn of Africa. Egypt has repeatedly stressed that maintaining stability in the Red Sea and preventing external powers from altering the balance of power is a key national priority.

Neither Israel nor Somaliland has publicly commented on Egypt’s warnings.

GAROWE ONLINE