Eritrea says it is withdrawing its membership of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) due to its allegedly ”toothless” approach to tackling regional issues.
The foreign affairs ministry in Asmara in a statement on Friday blamed the bloc’s failure to contribute to the stability of the region and for quitting the grouping.
“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 was established in 1996 and is made up of eight states in the Horn of Africa region – Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda.
According to the bloc’s website, Eritrea became the seventh member after attaining independence in 1993.
MG/as/APA