Eritrea formally withdraws from IGAD

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. [Reuters}

Eritrea has formally informed the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) of its decision to withdraw from the organization, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Friday.

According to the statement, Eritrea played a pivotal role when IGAD was revitalized in 1993, and subsequently worked, in collaboration with other member states, for its transformation and effectiveness.

"Unfortunately, over time and especially since 2005, IGAD has not only failed to meet the aspirations of the peoples of the region, but instead played a deleterious role, becoming a tool against targeted member states, particularly Eritrea," the statement said.

Eritrea suspended its membership in IGAD in April 2007, before reactivating it in June 2023.

"Eritrea finds itself compelled to withdraw its membership from an organization that has forfeited its legal mandate and authority, offering no discernible strategic benefit to all its constituencies and failing to contribute substantively to the stability of the region," the statement further noted.

IGAD is an East African bloc comprising eight member states, namely Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. Its secretariat is based in Djibouti.

According to the bloc's website, Eritrea became the seventh member after attaining independence in 1993.