Cairo buzzed with intellectual fervor last week as it played host to two highly significant events. The Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies (ECSS) convened a conference on “Horn of Africa Conflicts and Their Consequences for Regional and Egyptian Security.” Then the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (CCCPA), affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, launched the fourth edition of the Aswan Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development under the title “Africa in a Changing World: Re-Envisioning Global Governance for Peace and Development.”
What truly stood out at both events was the impressive turnout and the intense interest shown by participants. Notably, African attendees constituted the majority, while a distinguished international presence was also evident. High-level representatives from the United States, European Union member states, and several major Asian countries actively participated, emphasizing the global interest in these discussions. This diverse assembly conveyed a crucial message: Egypt’s focus on the Horn of Africa and its efforts to highlight the region’s challenges are vital and demand global attention and collaboration.
In February 2023, the CCCPA was selected to chair the African Union Network of Think Tanks for Peace. This selection acknowledged CCCPA’s significant contributions to various peace and security fields in Africa as a center of excellence for the African Union and an extension of Egypt’s pioneering role in promoting international and regional peace, security, and stability efforts. The Network serves as a unifying platform for all think tanks on the continent concerned with peace and security. It aims to provide the African Union with in-depth studies that enrich its deliberations and enhance its capabilities to address the complex and interrelated peace and security challenges Africa faces. This selection of the CCCPA reflects the deep confidence African Union member states have in Egypt’s ability to achieve the Network’s goal of bridging the gap between research and policy—one of the main priorities highlighted during Egypt’s presidency of the African Union from 2019 to 2021.
At its conference, the ECSS emphasized that the conflicts in the Horn of Africa are among the most urgent challenges facing our world today. The region has become a focal point for regional and international tensions due to its strategic location, overseeing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, and its wealth of natural resources, including minerals, oil, and natural gas. Additionally, its vast, culturally and ethnically diverse population adds to its significance on the global stage.
Despite its wealth, the Horn of Africa remains one of the poorest and most conflict-ridden regions in the world. The region grapples with numerous interconnected crises, including armed conflicts that cause immense human suffering and stymie development—the elusive dream of the people of the region. As such, the ECSS conference’s in-depth sessions aimed to foster a deeper understanding of the various conflicts in the Horn of Africa. They explored both internal conflicts with regional and international dimensions and those that transcend national borders. The goal was to examine their impacts on regional peace and security, propose strategies to address these conflicts, and develop early mechanisms to prevent their recurrence in the future.
Some of the intricate challenges that contributed to this tragic situation were highlighted. One such example is the protracted Ethiopian ethnic conflict, which has transcended national borders and spilled over into Sudan in a manner unprecedented in its danger and cost. Furthermore, the burdens of the ongoing Sudanese conflict extend beyond Sudan’s borders, creating security pressures on immediate neighbors, particularly Egypt, which must secure its southern border. Additionally, Egypt has borne the burden of hosting millions of refugees fleeing the horrors of war. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), estimates from April 2024 indicate that the number of refugees in Sudan has surpassed 1.8 million. Other estimates reach even more alarming figures when incorporating internally displaced persons within Sudan and those moving to neighboring countries, seeking refuge or reuniting with family members affected by armed conflict.
Discussions at the ECSS conference and Aswan Forum revealed a consensus among African participants regarding the current state of non-cooperative interactions in the Horn of Africa. This lack of cooperation is evident in the infringement on state sovereignty, exemplified by the recent Ethiopian-Somaliland agreement, which has strained relations between Ethiopia and Red Sea bordering countries. Furthermore, the Red Sea region has witnessed an escalation in tensions since late 2023, given the targeting of commercial vessels by the Houthis, which has negatively affected international trade, shipping routes, and transportation costs. This instability casts a shadow over crucial international shipping lanes, including the Suez Canal, vital for global trade and shipping companies. Beyond these security concerns, discussions dealt with other issues that are no less important, such as poverty, hunger, and the challenge of climate challenge, as well as the armed terrorist threats that have returned to grow again against the backdrop of this complex scene, a scene that Cairo has done well in putting under the spotlight and emphasizing the necessity of collective action to confront its enormous challenges.
