ASMARA (Somaliguardian) – Eritrea has withdrawn from the East African regional bloc known as IGAD, accusing the organization of abandoning its founding mandate and acting against the interests of some of its member states, including Eritrea itself.
In a statement issued Friday, Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry said the Intergovernmental Authority on Development had “forfeited its legal mandate and authority” and no longer offered “any discernible strategic benefit” to its members. The decision comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Eritrea and neighboring Ethiopia, raising renewed fears of regional instability.
IGAD swiftly rejected the accusation, saying Eritrea had failed to engage meaningfully with the organization since rejoining it last year. The bloc said Eritrea had not participated in IGAD meetings, programs or reform processes, nor had it submitted any tangible proposals to address its concerns.
IGAD, established in 1996 to promote regional stability, economic cooperation and food security, includes Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and Djibouti. Its headquarters are in Djibouti.
Eritrea has long accused IGAD of siding with Ethiopia in regional disputes, a charge the organization denies. Asmara previously withdrew from the bloc in 2007 during a bitter border standoff with Ethiopia and only rejoined in 2023.
The latest rupture coincides with escalating rhetoric between the two Horn of Africa neighbors. Since 2023, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has publicly pressed for access to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory, triggering an angry response from Asmara.
Eritrea formally seceded from Ethiopia in 1993 after a decades-long war for independence, leaving Ethiopia landlocked. In recent months, Abiy and other senior Ethiopian officials have gone so far as to question Addis Ababa’s recognition of Eritrean independence – remarks that have further inflamed tensions.
Abiy won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for ending a 20-year border conflict with Eritrea’s President Isaias Afewerki, a war that killed an estimated 100,000 people. Despite that rapprochement, relations have since soured.
During earlier phases of the conflict, Eritrea was accused by IGAD members of destabilizing the region by interfering in their internal affairs – allegations Asmara has consistently denied. Eritrean officials, in turn, accused neighboring states of colluding with Western powers to undermine Eritrea.
At Ethiopia’s urging, IGAD previously called on the African Union and the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions on Eritrea. Asmara later cut diplomatic ties with Djibouti, which hosts IGAD’s headquarters, following a 2009 border clash.
Eritrean suspicion of the bloc has also been fueled by the appointment of former Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu as IGAD’s executive secretary.
IGAD has faced growing criticism for its inability to deliver lasting stability or deeper regional integration in the Horn of Africa, a region plagued by civil wars, insurgencies, terrorism and recurring interstate tensions. Eritrea’s withdrawal now adds another strain to an already fragile regional architecture.
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