The Horn Of Africa States: The Trilateral Summit In Jigjiga, Somali State Of Ethiopia – OpEd
The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed is hosting the presidents of Somalia and Djibouti, Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud and Ismail Omar Guelleh respectively, in Jigjiga, capital of the Somali State of Ethiopia on this 31st day of January 2026. The summit brings together the three leaders to discuss cooperation on shared regional priorities including economic integration, infrastructure, connectivity, and security coordination. The summit of the three leaders is attracting attention beyond the three states, as Kenyan intelligence leadership (Noordin Haji) and other regional figures are also present in the Summit, indicating a wider interest in the outcomes. While formal communiqués have not yet been issued, we nevertheless explore in this article the implications of this seemingly impromptu Summit for the region.
The region is generally marked by persistent internal conflicts and, at times, inter-state tensions, including destabilizing disputes arising from unilateral pursuits of maritime access. These dynamics have contributed to fragile and often protracted peace processes. In this context, the summit presents an important opportunity for regional states to advance structured mechanisms for security coordination, intelligence sharing, and collective responses to cross-border threats.
The Horn is a theatre of rising geopolitical interest from external powers, including Gulf States, Türkiye, Egypt, and Western nations. Strengthened trilateral engagement among these three states could act as a counterbalance to external influence and bolster African-led solutions to regional disputes. Prime among the possible discussions will be the issue of Ethiopia being landlocked (since Eritrea’s independence) and heavily dependent on neighbours for port access and trade routes. Deepening cooperation with Somalia and Djibouti can facilitate logistics corridors and reduce transport costs, fostering economic growth not only for Ethiopia but also for the other two countries.
There is a growing regional emphasis on enhancing connectivity through the development of roads, railways, trade corridors, and other shared infrastructure projects, aimed at strengthening economic integration, deepening interdependence, and reducing barriers to trade. An interesting aspect of the summit is that it is signalling to a renewed push for a diplomatic dialogue, which brings together the neighbors with overlapping multi-faceted interests and historical tensions.
Somalia’s emphasis on national unity and sovereignty in these talks reflects its priority to ensure that external ties do not undermine internal stability or territorial integrity. This summit is also occurring against a backdrop of evolving Ethiopia-Somalia relations following diplomatic tensions in previous years, suggesting a continued realignment toward dialogue over conflict.
The region which comprises the states of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti, is one of the most geopolitically sensitive regions of the African continent and the outcomes of the summit are likely to have broader implications across multiple dimensions. They can produce joint security frameworks or intelligence sharing, addressing not only the terrorist networks and inter-clan skirmishes but also cross-border insurgencies. Should an enhanced security cooperation result from the summit, it would signal to a more collective regional security mechanism in the place of bilateral and externally-led efforts.
While today’s outcomes will be clearer only after the summit concludes, it is important to situate it within longer-term Horn of Africa dynamics. Ethiopia seeks maritime access and alternative trade routes amid evolving ties with neighbors, which is central to its economic strategies, while Somalia pursues regional diplomatic engagement as part of efforts to fortify its security and development partnerships, and Djibouti, strategically located at the entrance to the Red Sea, plays a pivotal role in regional logistics and security architecture.
The bottom-line of the summit in Jigjiga represents a strategic diplomatic engagement aimed at rebuilding and reinforcing ties among key Horn of Africa states, a bid to elevate cooperation on security, economic connectivity, and development, and a signal of collective African leadership in managing one of the continent’s most complex and geopolitically significant regions.
The full implications will become clearer as official communiqués and agreements are released, but for now it reflects momentum toward deeper regional coordination in an area historically beset by fragmentation and external influence.