Cairo (Somalia Today) — The United States has stepped up engagement with Eritrea and Somalia as mounting attacks on commercial shipping raise fears that instability could spread across both shores of the Red Sea and threaten one of the world’s most important trade routes.
The latest diplomatic push emerged from talks in Cairo this month involving Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali.
Egypt said the discussions formed part of wider efforts to promote peace and stability in the Horn of Africa, a region increasingly affected by conflicts in Yemen, Sudan and the wider Middle East.
The officials announced no agreement on military facilities or maritime access. But the meetings have raised questions over whether Washington wants to build a broader security framework along the African shore of the Red Sea, or simply prevent another regional crisis.
Boulos said he discussed with Ali “important issues of security and stability in the Horn of Africa”, including regional cooperation and Somalia’s domestic political dialogue.
After meeting Saleh, Boulos said Washington and Asmara had explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation in trade, regional economic development and security.
“At a time when collective efforts are more important than ever, we underscored the need to work together constructively to address regional conflicts and advance lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa,” he said.
Shipping threats
The diplomatic activity comes as Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels intensify threats against vessels crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow passage separating Yemen from Djibouti and Eritrea.
Attacks on tankers and warnings of a wider blockade have prompted more vessels to change course. At the same time, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have raised fears of disruption at both ends of the main corridor carrying Gulf energy exports towards Europe.
Oil prices have risen sharply as markets respond to attacks on shipping and the possibility of supply disruptions.
The United States has warned that vessels linked to Washington, Britain or Israel face a high risk of hostile action while crossing the southern Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.
The waterway links the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden with the Suez Canal, making it a crucial passage for global energy supplies and international trade.
Oil flows through the route had already fallen after the Houthis began attacking ships, forcing many operators to take the longer and more expensive journey around southern Africa.
Cameron Hudson, a former White House official under President George W. Bush, said Washington appeared focused on ensuring that countries along the African coast did not become another source of instability.
“The US seems to be saying, ‘You can’t be helpful to us in the Red Sea, so let’s at least make you a neutral actor,’” Hudson said.
Strategic coastline
The renewed American outreach gives Eritrea unusual strategic importance.
The tightly controlled country has ports at Massawa and Assab and a long coastline facing some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Washington and Asmara have had strained relations for years, but the Trump administration has explored a possible reset as Red Sea security becomes more urgent.
Any rapprochement would remain sensitive because of Eritrea’s human rights record and its continuing tensions with neighbouring Ethiopia.
Somalia also occupies a strategically important position, with a coastline stretching from the Gulf of Aden into the Indian Ocean and an established counterterrorism partnership with Washington.
In March 2025, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud offered the United States access to airfields and ports, including Baledogle, Berbera and Bosaso, according to a letter reported by international media.
The proposal said the facilities could provide “uninterrupted military and logistical access” and prevent rival powers from gaining a stronger foothold along the corridor.
But the offer faced complications because Berbera lies in Somaliland, a self-declared republic that Somalia considers part of its sovereign territory.
The United States already operates its main regional military hub at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. It also continues to carry out air strikes in Somalia against Al-Shabaab and the Islamic State group.
US steps up Somalia, Eritrea talks amid Red Sea threats
Mubarak Aliyu, a political and security risk analyst specialising in West Africa and the Sahel, said Egypt’s coordination with Washington showed that regional crises could no longer be treated separately.
“Egypt’s coordination with the United States is an acknowledgement that crises in the Horn of Africa have become interconnected, demanding diplomacy that balances deterrence, regional partnerships and long-term stability,” he said.
Aliyu said the timing of the Cairo meetings suggested that Egypt wanted to shape the emerging security order in the Horn of Africa rather than simply react to events around it.
Washington has yet to make its intentions clear.
But as attacks increase around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Somalia and Eritrea have gained fresh diplomatic value, while the African shore of the Red Sea has become increasingly difficult for the White House to ignore.
