Leaders and diplomats meeting in Nairobi for the IGAD Mediation Reflection Conference have called for a fundamental rethink of peace mediation, warning that global fragmentation is undermining efforts to resolve conflicts in the Horn of Africa, particularly the worsening crisis in Sudan.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi led the call for reform, cautioning that peace processes are increasingly being commercialized and diverted from their core mission of restoring stability.
Speaking during the conference, Mudavadi expressed concern that mediation efforts across Africa and beyond are turning into transactional engagements driven by profit rather than genuine peacebuilding.
“We are seeing an emerging trend where factions are turning into arbitrators of transactions instead of genuinely pursuing efforts that will restore peace and stability in the affected nations and regions,” he said.
He warned that the growing “privatization” of peace initiatives risks eroding trust, as negotiations begin to resemble business deals rather than humanitarian efforts aimed at ending conflict. According to Mudavadi, this trend is also reshaping the concept of sovereignty.
“We are now seeing sovereignty facing a new definition other than the description of a self-governing state independent of outside control,” he added.
His remarks come amid protracted and increasingly complex conflicts across the Horn of Africa, where mediation efforts have struggled to deliver lasting solutions. Delegates at the conference acknowledged that traditional approaches are under pressure due to shifting global dynamics and weakening multilateral systems.
Mudavadi emphasized the need for Africa to adopt more flexible and context-specific mediation frameworks, grounded in local realities and driven by African leadership.
“We must pursue more responsive mediation frameworks tailored to the specific contexts of our region. African ownership in addressing African conflicts remains essential in ensuring legitimacy, sustainability, and long-term success,” he said.
The forum, convened by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, brought together high-level leaders including former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, former Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, and IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu.
Participants highlighted a dual challenge facing mediation efforts: the fragmentation of conflicts involving multiple actors, and increasing global pressures that are weakening coordinated international responses. Mudavadi warned that duplication of initiatives is undermining collective progress.
“A more harmonized approach, anchored on IGAD’s leadership, will strengthen coherence and effectiveness in the Horn of Africa,” he said.
He also cautioned against undermining African institutions such as the African Union and IGAD, noting that their credibility is often weakened by lack of internal support.
“It is disturbing to see the people who tend to discredit African institutions like the AU being Africans themselves. You get a reasonable proposition from the AU, but we refuse to adopt it, only to sign onto the same ideas when presented by external actors. This must stop,” Mudavadi said.
While acknowledging the role of international partners, he maintained that external support should remain complementary.
“Africa values and welcomes the support of international partners; however, such support should remain complementary and supplementary, not foundational,” he said.
IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu echoed these concerns, warning that mediation is increasingly shaped by geopolitics and declining trust among states.
“We are living through a transformation… an era of competing initiatives, fragmented authority, and diminishing coherence,” he said, cautioning that mediation risks becoming short-term crisis management rather than a path to sustainable peace.
He noted that modern conflicts are prolonged and complex, often lacking a central authority to negotiate with. “What does mediation look like in a world without a center?” he posed.
The urgency of reform was reinforced by Mohamed Belaiche, who described Sudan’s conflict as a deepening humanitarian crisis.
“The gathering… represents a message of hope at a time when suffering has intensified,” he said, stressing the need for coordinated, inclusive, and African-led solutions.
Leaders also pointed to the economic toll of persistent conflict, noting that instability continues to hinder the continent’s ability to harness its vast natural resources.
The conference is expected to generate new strategies aimed at restoring confidence in mediation and strengthening Africa-led peace initiatives in an increasingly fragmented global landscape.