Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met with his Sierra Leonean counterpart, Julius Maada Bio, at Cairo’s Ittihadiya Palace. Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency's official Facebook page.
During their meeting in Cairo, the two leaders discussed Sierra Leone’s pivotal role as chair of the African Union’s Committee of Ten (C-10), which advocates for expanding and reforming the UNSC to ensure fair representation for Africa..
“We underscored our adherence to the common African position, grounded in the ‘Ezulwini Consensus’ and the ‘Sirte Declaration," President El-Sisi asserted during a joint press conference after the meeting.
“We emphasized the importance of rectifying Africa’s current position, highlighting the necessity of securing its rightful permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council.”
Eight decades since the United Nations was founded in October 1945, Africa remains without a permanent seat on the UNSC, the highest decision-making body in the international system.
The Committee of Ten (C-10) includes Senegal, Sierra Leone, Chad, Egypt, Tunisia, Malawi, Namibia, Kenya, and Mauritius..
The UNSC consists of 15 members, including five permanent members with veto power—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—and ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
Earlier on Thursday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio and his accompanying delegation in an official ceremony at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.
During their discussions, El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s unwavering commitment to supporting stability and security in West Africa and the Sahel region.
He emphasized the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach to counterterrorism that extends beyond military measures to address the underlying economic and social factors that fuel extremism.
Following the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to bolster cooperation between the two nations.
During a joint press conference, El-Sisi stated that Egypt and Sierra Leone share a common stance on respecting the sovereignty of nations in the Horn of Africa and underscored the importance of joint efforts to ensure the region’s stability.
The leaders also discussed issues related to the Nile River's water resources.
President El-Sisi underscored to his West African counterpart the existential importance of the Nile River for Egypt.
He outlined Egypt’s efforts to foster greater consensus among Nile Basin states to safeguard the collective interests of their populations.
During their talks, El-Sisi and Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution that guarantees the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of an independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The two leaders underscored the urgent need for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and the resumption of Middle East peace negotiations to achieve a just and lasting resolution to the Palestinian cause.
They also agreed to enhance coordination between Cairo and Freetown on various shared concerns and to bolster economic cooperation, particularly in capacity-building across sectors such as agriculture, irrigation, infrastructure, fisheries, and food security.
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