CAIRO: Ethiopia’s regional rivals Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan met in the Egyptian coastal city of El-Alamein on Sunday, calling for regional disputes to be resolved through “peaceful means.”

The gathering comes as concerns grow that the escalating violence in Ethiopia could spill across borders.

The mini-summit brought together Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan.

The leaders called for “respecting the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of states” and “rejecting interference in their internal affairs,” according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

They also stressed the importance of “international law governing transboundary rivers,” including the Nile, and rejected “any unilateral measures” that could harm downstream states, read a joint statement after the talks.

The four countries have had strained relations with landlocked Ethiopia in recent years.

Egypt and Sudan remain at odds with Ethiopia over its giant Nile dam, which they fear could threaten their share of the river’s waters.

Sudan’s army has also accused Ethiopia of involvement in its war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an allegation Addis Ababa denies.

Relations between Somalia and Ethiopia have likewise been strained since Ethiopia signed an agreement with Somaliland, Somalia’s breakaway region, in 2024.

Tensions have mounted further this month after Ethiopia accused Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea of backing Tigray rebels, a charge all three countries reject.

Ethiopia and Eritrea severed diplomatic ties, while Cairo and Addis Ababa expelled members of each other’s diplomatic missions.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told state-linked media on Sunday that Cairo has “absolutely nothing to do” with events in Ethiopia, describing the unrest as a “domestic crisis” rooted in ethnic and political divisions.

Renewed fighting in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region has revived fears of a return to the country’s 2020-2022 civil war.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) launched attacks on federal forces last month. Ethiopian troops were reported on Sunday to have taken full control of Mekelle, the regional capital.