Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Eritrea has announced its withdrawal from the East African regional bloc IGAD, accusing the organisation of “becoming a tool against” countries like itself.
In a statement on Friday, Eritrea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said IGAD had strayed from its founding principles and failed to contribute to regional stability.
“Eritrea finds itself compelled to withdraw its membership from an organisation that has forfeited its legal mandate and authority; offering no discernible strategic benefit to all its constituencies,” the statement read as citied by the BBC.
The move comes amid escalating tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia, raising fears of renewed armed conflict in the region. IGAD responded, saying Eritrea had not made “tangible proposals” or engaged with reforms since rejoining the bloc in 2023.
IGAD, or the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, was established to promote regional stability and food security in East Africa. Its members include Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Djibouti, and Eritrea.
Eritrea previously left IGAD in 2007 during a border dispute with Ethiopia, only to rejoin 16 years later in 2023. The government in Asmara has long accused the bloc of siding with Ethiopia in regional disputes.
Since 2023, tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia have intensified. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has sought access to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory, prompting a furious response from Asmara.
Eritrea’s withdrawal comes against the backdrop of a complex history. After a decades-long struggle, Eritrea formally seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving Ethiopia landlocked. The two countries fought a bloody border war in the late 1990s, leaving tens of thousands dead.
Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for normalising relations with Eritrea and ending a two-decade-long conflict with President Isaias Afwerki. Despite this, suspicions between the two countries persist. Eritrea has accused IGAD members of siding with Western powers to destabilise it and has previously cut diplomatic ties with Djibouti, where IGAD’s headquarters is located, following a 2009 border dispute.
IGAD’s credibility in the Horn of Africa has often been questioned, with critics citing its limited success in regional integration and stability, amid ongoing civil wars, terrorism, and inter-state tensions.
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