Egypt denies plans to build military base in Eritrea

CAIRO

An Egyptian military source has denied reports about planning to establish a military base in Eritrea.

A Sudanese newspaper earlier claimed that Eritrea has accepted an Egyptian request to build a military base on its territory.

The daily claimed Egypt will be the third Arab country to have bases in Eritrea after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which allegedly use the port of Asab in their air campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

"This report is untrue," the source told Anadolu Agency on Monday.

"Egypt does not plan to establish any bases overseas," he said.

There was no comment from Saudi Arabia or the UAE on the report.

Eritrea has repeatedly denied reports about allowing foreign countries to establish military bases on its territory.

Eritrea has a long coastline on the Red Sea that stretches to more than 1,200 kilometers with the ports of Asab and Masawa are located a few kilometers away from Yemeni coastline.

*Reporting by Mohamed Mahmoud; Writing by Ali Abo Rezeg