Eritrea exits IGAD as tensions with Ethiopia escalate
Asmara, Eritrea — In a bold move, Eritrea has pulled out of the East African regional bloc IGAD, accusing the group of abandoning its original mandate and acting against the interests of some member states, including Eritrea itself.
In a Friday statement, Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry asserted that IGAD had “forfeited its legal mandate and authority” and no longer delivered any clear strategic advantage to its members. The decision comes amid sharply deteriorating relations with neighboring Ethiopia, reviving concerns about regional instability.
IGAD quickly pushed back, arguing that Eritrea had failed to engage constructively since rejoining the bloc last year. The group claimed Eritrea had not attended IGAD meetings, programs, or reform efforts, and had not offered concrete proposals to address its concerns.
IGAD, founded in 1996 to foster regional stability, economic cooperation, and food security, lists Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and Djibouti among its members, with its headquarters in Djibouti.
Eritrea has long contended that IGAD tends to side with Ethiopia in regional disputes, a charge the organization denies. Asmara exited the bloc in 2007 amid a bitter border dispute with Addis Ababa and only returned in 2023.
The latest rift emerges amid rising rhetoric between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Since 2023, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has publicly pressed for access to the Red Sea via Eritrean territory, provoking a strong reaction from Asmara.
Eritrea’s formal independence in 1993 left Ethiopia landlocked after a protracted war. In recent months, Ethiopian leaders, including Abiy, have even questioned Addis Ababa’s recognition of Eritrean independence, further inflaming tensions.
Abiy’s 2019 Nobel Peace Prize acknowledged the earlier progress in resolving the border war, but relations have since cooled. Earlier stages of the conflict saw IGAD members accusing Eritrea of destabilizing the region by meddling in internal affairs, a charge Asmara has repeatedly denied while accusing neighboring states of colluding with Western powers to weaken Eritrea.
Under Ethiopian urging, IGAD previously pressed the African Union and the U.N. Security Council to sanction Eritrea. Eritrea later severed diplomatic ties with Djibouti after a 2009 border clash.
Suspicion of IGAD has grown further with the appointment of former Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu as IGAD’s executive secretary.
IGAD continues to grapple with criticisms that it has failed to deliver lasting stability or deeper regional integration in the Horn of Africa, a region marked by civil wars, insurgencies, terrorism, and recurring interstate tensions. Eritrea’s withdrawal compounds pressures on an already fragile regional security framework.
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