MOGADISHU, Somalia — September 29, 2026 — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is expected to travel to Egypt on Friday for a four-way meeting with the leaders of Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, according to information about his planned itinerary.
Hassan Sheikh is currently in Addis Ababa, where he met Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday. He is expected to travel to Djibouti for consultations with President Ismail Omar Guelleh before proceeding to Egypt.
The agenda for the meeting in Egypt has not been made public. No specific agreements or commitments expected from the talks have been announced.
The planned journey would take Hassan Sheikh from Ethiopia to Djibouti and then Egypt, bringing him into contact with leaders from several countries in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region. The trip comes as Somalia continues diplomatic engagement with its neighbors and other regional partners.
Ethiopian state media reported that Abiy welcomed Hassan Sheikh at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa on Tuesday. The Somali president also said on social media that he held talks with Abiy in the Ethiopian capital.
The information about Hassan Sheikh’s itinerary says he will meet Guelleh in Djibouti before travelling to Egypt. It does not specify when that meeting will take place or whether the two leaders will issue a statement afterward.
Before travelling to Addis Ababa, Hassan Sheikh received a joint phone call from Guelleh and Abiy, according to the account provided about the trip. The call took place as the leaders were attending the launch of a petroleum infrastructure project involving Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Dangote Group.
The project, announced on Sept. 24, is a planned pipeline to transport refined petroleum products between Djibouti and Ethiopia. Abiy and Guelleh attended the announcement alongside Dangote Group chief executive Aliko Dangote.
The reported phone call connected the Somali president with both leaders ahead of his visit to Addis Ababa. No details have been released about what was discussed during the call.
Regional diplomacy
Somalia’s expected participation in the Egypt meeting follows earlier high-level discussions involving Hassan Sheikh, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. The three leaders met in Asmara in October 2024 for a summit that included discussions on Somalia’s security, the situation in Sudan and regional cooperation.
That meeting produced a joint statement setting out areas for continued coordination. The statement included regional security and the Sudanese crisis among the issues discussed by the three presidents. It provides a precedent for Somalia’s engagement with Egypt and Eritrea, though it does not establish the agenda for the meeting now expected in Egypt.
Hassan Sheikh also visited Cairo in February 2026 and met el-Sisi. Egypt’s presidency said the two presidents discussed bilateral relations and reaffirmed Egypt’s support for Somalia’s unity, security and territorial integrity.
Those earlier meetings indicate that Somali-Egyptian relations have included regular presidential-level contact. The current itinerary would add a further round of engagement, this time involving Sudan and Eritrea alongside Egypt.
The expected visit also follows Hassan Sheikh’s meeting with Abiy in Addis Ababa. Somalia and Ethiopia have held diplomatic talks in recent years, including discussions hosted by Turkey in 2024 aimed at easing tensions between the two countries. The leaders’ Tuesday meeting is the latest reported contact between them.
The sequence of planned and completed meetings places Hassan Sheikh in direct contact with leaders whose governments engage with a range of regional questions. However, details available about the upcoming Egypt meeting do not identify which issues the four leaders intend to address.
What is known about the planned meeting
The reported date for Hassan Sheikh’s travel to Egypt is Friday. The expected gathering is described as a four-way meeting among the Somali, Egyptian, Sudanese and Eritrean leaders.
The names of the other participants, the meeting’s location and its format have not been specified in the information provided about the itinerary. It is also not clear whether the meeting will conclude with a joint statement or whether the leaders will make public remarks.
No official meeting agenda has been released. There has been no public announcement of a planned agreement or decision linked to the visit.
The president’s expected stop in Djibouti is described as a consultation with Guelleh. The trip information does not say whether the Djibouti talks will be bilateral only or connected to the wider regional meeting.
Hassan Sheikh’s visit to Addis Ababa began with his meeting with Abiy on Tuesday. Details of their discussion were not included in the information about the planned Egypt trip. The Ethiopian state media report confirmed the Somali president’s arrival and welcome by Abiy, while Hassan Sheikh’s social media account referred to their talks.
The itinerary therefore combines a confirmed meeting in Addis Ababa with planned stops in Djibouti and Egypt. The latter engagements remain prospective until they take place.
The planned discussions bring together leaders from countries with established diplomatic ties and shared interests in regional stability. Previous Somalia-Egypt-Eritrea meetings have addressed security and developments in Sudan, but the agenda for Friday’s expected meeting has not been disclosed.
For Somalia, the schedule offers an opportunity for Hassan Sheikh to engage with regional counterparts while maintaining contacts with Ethiopia, Djibouti, Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea. The practical outcome of the meetings, if any, will depend on what the leaders discuss and whether they announce decisions afterward.
The Somali government has also been seeking support for domestic priorities, including in Baidoa and Beledweyne, according to the information provided about the president’s regional outreach. It does not specify whether those issues will be raised during the visits, or whether Hassan Sheikh plans to request particular assistance.