Sisi Rejects Interference in Somalia, Underscores Its Central Role in Red Sea Security

CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has rejected any interference that threatens Somalia’s sovereignty or territorial integrity, warning that the country’s stability is inseparable from security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.

El-Sisi made the remarks during a meeting with CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Cairo on Sunday. Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad also attended the talks.

According to the Egyptian presidency, el-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s full support for efforts to strengthen security and stability in Somalia. He also categorically rejected any infringement on Somalia’s sovereignty or territorial integrity.

The talks placed Somalia alongside international maritime security, terrorism, organized crime and other cross-border threats. Ratcliffe praised Egypt’s role in supporting stability across Africa and called for continued coordination between Cairo and Washington.

The meeting carried a clear message: there can be no stable and secure Red Sea while Somalia remains exposed to terrorism, foreign interference and political fragmentation.

Somalia occupies a critical position along the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean. Its coastline sits beside maritime routes connecting the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Any serious security strategy for these waters must therefore include a strong and sovereign Somali state.

Foreign attempts to divide Somalia or bypass its federal institutions will not produce maritime security. They will create new areas of competition, weaken national authority and give terrorist groups and criminal networks more room to operate.

Warships and temporary military deployments can protect individual vessels, but they cannot resolve the threats developing on land. Piracy, arms trafficking, terrorism and organized crime require functioning Somali institutions, capable security forces and cooperation with the federal government in Mogadishu.

Somalia is not a secondary issue in the Red Sea security debate. It is the southern anchor of that security system. Protecting international navigation requires protecting Somalia’s unity, rebuilding its national institutions and helping it exercise full authority over its land and territorial waters.

The Cairo meeting showed that Egypt and the United States increasingly view Somalia, the Horn of Africa and international maritime security as connected issues. Stronger intelligence cooperation may help confront immediate threats, but lasting stability will depend on respecting Somalia’s sovereignty and strengthening the Somali state.

The shortest path to a secure Red Sea does not run around Somalia. It runs through a united, stable and sovereign Somalia.