Eritrea Rejoins IGAD After 16 Years Walkout

Addis Ababa, June 13, 2023 (FBC) – Eritrea has rejoined the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), nearly 16 years after the state pulled out of the body, Information Minister Yemane G. Meskel has stated.

“Eritrea resumed its activity in IGAD and took its seat” at a summit organized by the seven-nation bloc in Djibouti on Monday, the Information Minister said on Twitter.

He said the country was ready to work toward “peace, stability and regional integration.”

The announcement comes after Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki told reporters during a visit to Kenya in February that his country would rejoin IGAD “with the idea of revitalizing this regional organization.”

Eritrea’s Foreign Minister, Osman Saleh, along with Presidential Adviser Yemane Ghebreab have joined the 14th Ordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Djibouti.

Workneh Gebeyehu, executive secretary of IGAD, hailed Eritrea’s return to the bloc, saying in an official statement: “Let me take this opportunity to welcome back the State of Eritrea to the IGAD family.”