President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Thursday rejected any moves to militarise the Red Sea or establish a military presence by non-littoral states along its shores. He made the remarks while addressing the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on 29 October 2026.

El-Sisi expressed deep concern over escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa. He rejected threats to the sovereignty of regional states or interference in their internal affairs.

We also reject any moves that would exploit the fragility of regional conditions to militarise the Red Sea and impose a military presence for states that do not border the Red Sea on its shores.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
The Egyptian president also reaffirmed his country’s categorical rejection of attempts to undermine Sudan’s unity, territorial integrity, or national institutions. He called for unified international efforts to end the war in Sudan and support a political process leading to dialogue within a purely Sudanese framework. Egypt has long maintained that responsibility for Red Sea security rests exclusively with its littoral states. Officials distinguish between commercial access for landlocked countries and any military presence by non-coastal states.

In the same speech, El-Sisi outlined five priorities for African development. These include strategic corridors and logistics zones, greater intra-African trade, energy interconnection, water and food security, and cooperation in technology and artificial intelligence.