Eritrea rejoins East African bloc, IGAD, nearly 16 years after walkout

Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki speaks during his visit at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, February 9, 2023. [Reuters]

Eritrea has rejoined the East African bloc, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), nearly 16 years after the politically isolated state pulled out of the body, Information Minister Yemane Meskel said Monday.

"Eritrea resumed its activity in IGAD and took its seat" at a summit organized by the seven-nation bloc in Djibouti on Monday, Meskel said on Twitter.