Egypt and Eritrea are exploring a possible military co-operation deal and intelligence sharing as they seek to cement already close ties, according to sources.
The sources told The National that such an accord would also include outlining bilateral steps to protect Red Sea shipping, which has been severely disrupted by attacks from Iran-backed rebels in Yemen carried out in solidarity with the Palestinians during Israel's 11-month war in Gaza.
Egypt is also discussing with Eritrea possible mediation by Cairo to end decades-old animosity between Asmara and the ethnic rebels of Tigray in neighbouring Ethiopia, where the Tigray People's Liberation Front poses the most potent threat to the rule of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Mr Abiy has been an anathema in Egypt because of what Cairo views as his intransigence in more than a decade of fruitless negotiations to resolve the two nations' dispute over a giant Nile dam that Ethiopia is building, which is seen by Cairo as an existential threat to its life-and-death share of the river's water. Addis Ababa has in turn accused Egypt of supporting anti-government groups to destabilise Ethiopia.
The discussions between Egypt and Eritrea come amid a surprise visit to Asmara last weekend by Egyptian intelligence chief Gen Kamal Abbas, a confidant of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. The pair met Eritrea's longtime leader Isaias Afwerki.
The Foreign Ministry on Saturday said the pair handed the Eritrean leader a message from Mr El Sisi on “bolstering and developing bilateral relations in all fields”.
“They also listened to President Afwerki's views on developments in the Red Sea regarding the importance of finding the right circumstances to restore normal maritime shipping and international trade through the Bab Al Mandeb,” it said, referring to the narrow strait that links the Red and Arabian seas.
The Egyptians also heard the Eritrean leader's views on developments in the Horn of Africa, the challenges faced in that region and methods for reinforcing security and stability there, it said.
Egypt and Eritrea together account for thousands of kilometres of Red Sea coastline, including the Egyptian shores of the gulfs of Suez and Aqaba, as well as 355 islands under Eritrean sovereignty. While Egypt controls the northern reaches of the Red Sea, including the Suez Canal that links to the Mediterranean, Eritrea is located close to the strategic Bab Al Mandeb strait.
The two have forged close ties in the 10 years since Mr El Sisi rose to power in the most populous Arab nation, with Mr Afwerki meeting the Egyptian President several times in recent years. They last met in Cairo in February, only three months after their previous meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“The primary aim of Egypt in the region is to curb Ethiopian influence in the Horn of Africa and put pressure on Abiy Ahmed’s government,” said one of the sources. “To boost co-operation with Eritrea is a huge step in that direction.”
A military co-operation agreement with Eritrea would be the latest deal of its kind to be struck between Cairo and countries in the Horn of Africa, East Africa or the Nile basin. These include Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and Somalia.
Analysts have long suspected those deals are primarily designed to put pressure on Addis Ababa to show flexibility in its dispute with Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
The latest military co-operation agreement between Egypt and its southern neighbours was signed last month with Somalia, which has traditionally been at odds with Ethiopia. Under the provisions of that deal, Egypt late last month airlifted arms, military hardware and troops to Somalia, deeply angering Ethiopia, which has warned that the move would undermine stability in the Horn of Africa and vowed not to stand idly by.
Eritrea, on the other hand, gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a decades-long civil war. The pair fought a ruinous war over a border dispute between 1998 and 2000; and although they have since made peace and fought together against Ethiopia's Tigrayan rebels in 2020-2022, they remain rivals.
Somalia's quarrel with Addis Ababa now is over a preliminary deal its landlocked neighbour signed this year with the breakaway territory of Somaliland to lease coastal land in exchange for possible recognition of its independence from Somalia.
Somalia called the deal an assault on its sovereignty and said it would block it by all means necessary.
“Somalia and Ethiopia share a long-enduring animosity,” Somalia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Mohammed Omar told Qatar's Al Jazeera TV network in an interview aired last week.
Asked how Somalia would respond if Ethiopia and Somaliland went ahead and implemented their agreement, he said: “That will be a declaration of war.”
Somalia has already threatened to send home an estimated 10,000 Ethiopian troops in Somalia as part of an African Union-mandated peacekeeping force if the deal is not cancelled.
For its part, Egypt said it planned to apply to the AU to be part of a new peacekeeping force in Somalia which, as the host nation, Somalia must approve.
If this comes to fruition, it could increase tensions. Already, the 17-month-old war in Sudan has driven more than two million people over the borders of that vast Afro-Arab nation. And in Ethiopia, ethnic divides appear to be ominously worsening and Somalia is faced with a constant threat from militant group Al Shabab.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised
General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.
"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.
He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDirect%20Debit%20System%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sept%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20with%20a%20subsidiary%20in%20the%20UK%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elaine%20Jones%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
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The five pillars of Islam
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company%C2%A0profile
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Europa League group stage draw
Group A: Villarreal, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Astana, Slavia Prague.
Group B: Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys, Partizan Belgrade, Skenderbeu.
Group C: Sporting Braga, Ludogorets, Hoffenheim, Istanbul Basaksehir.
Group D: AC Milan, Austria Vienna , Rijeka, AEK Athens.
Group E: Lyon, Everton, Atalanta, Apollon Limassol.
Group F: FC Copenhagen, Lokomotiv Moscow, Sheriff Tiraspol, FC Zlin.
Group G: Vitoria Plzen, Steaua Bucarest, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, FC Lugano.
Group H: Arsenal, BATE Borisov, Cologne, Red Star Belgrade.
Group I: Salzburg, Marseille, Vitoria Guimaraes, Konyaspor.
Group J: Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Zorya Luhansk, Ostersund.
Group K: Lazio, Nice, Zulte Waregem, Vitesse Arnhem.
Group L: Zenit St Petersburg, Real Sociedad, Rosenborg, Vardar
