Egypt assumed the presidency of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council on Sunday for a one-month term and has pledged to press further for stability across the continent.
Foremost in its sights are the conflicts in Sudan and Somalia, which the Egyptian Foreign Ministry described as areas requiring urgent, co-ordinated African action to support national institutions and restore stability.
The ministry said Cairo’s presidency of the council comes at a "critical juncture" marked by mounting security, political and development challenges that demand collective responses.
The ministry stressed that Egypt aims to strengthen the council’s effectiveness as the principal body responsible for maintaining peace and security in Africa, while advancing the goals of the AU’s Agenda 2063 for sustainable development.
Egypt plans to convene a series of high-level ministerial consultations in the month ahead to address the continuing crises and explore avenues for "de-escalation and conflict resolution".
The council will also adopt its annual report, to be presented by the Egyptian delegation at the AU's Summit of Heads of State and Government, on February 14 and 15.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry said the nation seeks to promote a comprehensive approach to peace, security and proper governance that contributes to conflict resolution and postwar recovery.
In addition, sessions are planned on climate, artificial intelligence, food security and political transitions in African nations, the ministry said.
Concerns about Sudan and the possibility that Egypt’s “red lines” will be crossed by “para-state militias” have long been expressed by Cairo, most recently in a speech by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi during a celebration for Police Day last week.
The civil war in Sudan broke out in 2023 when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The SAF and RSF have both been accused of committing war crimes.
The SAF recently claimed to have broken a two‑year siege on the South Kordofan town of Dilling. With partial battlefield gains, elements of the army-backed government have begun returning to Khartoum from Port Sudan, but fighting in the capital and western regions persists.
Though Egypt has long maintained deep involvement in the affairs of its southern neighbour, Somalia has become a new arena in a widening regional interest since Israel’s decision to recognise the breakaway territory of Somaliland, a move Cairo views as a challenge to its national security interests involving the Red Sea area and the Horn of Africa.
Cairo has expanded its military footprint in Somalia under a 2024 defence pact, seeking to bolster President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government and counter external influence it fears could reshape access routes to the Red Sea.
Egypt, which depends heavily on Nile river water and has more than 2,000 kilometres of Red Sea coastline, is wary that Israel’s engagement with Somaliland could strengthen the latter's ties with Ethiopia, with which Cairo remains locked in dispute over the river and a mammoth dam.
The Egyptian mission now includes thousands of troops and advisers supporting Somalia in its campaign against Al Shabab militants and in maintaining sovereign control over Somalian territory.
