FILE – Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki hold up a symbolic key during a joint ceremony marking the restoration of diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea in Asmara, Eritrea. The 2018 peace initiative formally ended two decades of hostility following a border war and paved the way for the reopening of embassies, flights and cross-border ties.
MOGADISHU — Eritrea has withdrawn from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development for the second time, accusing the Horn of Africa bloc of failing its mandate as tensions with neighboring Ethiopia deepen and international bodies urge restraint.
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The decision, announced Dec. 12 by Eritrea’s Ministry of Information, said IGAD has “persistently fallen short of its responsibilities and obligations,” arguing the organization has delivered no strategic benefit to its members, nor safeguarded regional stability or legal commitments.
While the statement did not name Ethiopia, the move comes amid fresh strains between Addis Ababa and Asmara, particularly after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated his government’s desire for access to the Red Sea — a position that has unsettled Eritrea and other states along the waterway.
The withdrawal coincides with renewed calls from the African Union and the United Nations for Ethiopia and Eritrea to recommit to the 2000 Algiers Agreement, which ended a two-year border war that killed an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people. Marking the accord’s 25th anniversary, African Union Commission Chairperson Mohamed Ali Youssouf called it a “historic victory for peace” and urged both sides to “choose dialogue and good neighborliness as the best path forward.”
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres echoed those concerns, stressing support for the Algiers Agreement and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity at a “critical moment” for the region. Both institutions warned that stability in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea hinges on rebuilding trust, expanding cooperation and avoiding steps that undermine collective security.
IGAD, headquartered in Djibouti, brings together eight countries — Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and Eritrea — to coordinate on peace and security, economic cooperation and regional integration.
Eritrea last quit IGAD in 2007 after Ethiopian forces intervened in Somalia the previous year to bolster the country’s Transitional Federal Government against the Islamic Courts Union. Asmara accused IGAD of enabling what it described as an Ethiopian invasion and said it would not remain in a bloc complicit in injustice against the Somali people. Eritrea stayed out for 16 years.
Ties between Addis Ababa and Asmara thawed in 2018 when Abiy and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki signed a peace declaration, ending two decades of hostility. Eritrea rejoined IGAD, and the U.N. Security Council lifted sanctions first imposed over allegations — denied by Eritrea — that it supported armed groups in Somalia.
The rapprochement proved fragile. Relations soured following the 2022 Pretoria agreement that ended Ethiopia’s war in the Tigray region, during which Eritrean forces fought alongside federal troops. Tensions rose again as Abiy publicly raised the issue of Ethiopia’s access to the Red Sea, reviving old geopolitical anxieties.
The Algiers Agreement created an independent boundary commission that, in 2002, awarded the disputed town of Badme to Eritrea. Ethiopia rejected the ruling and refused to withdraw its forces, calling for further talks. Eritrea insisted the decision was final and binding, leaving the two countries locked in a “no war, no peace” stalemate for nearly two decades. Although subsequent declarations signed in Asmara and Jeddah reaffirmed implementation, the border ruling has never been fully carried out.
Analysts say Eritrea’s exit from IGAD — coupled with unresolved border issues, the aftermath of the Tigray conflict and shifting regional alliances — risks further destabilizing the Horn of Africa at a time of heightened security concerns in the Red Sea. The AU and U.N. have emphasized that sustained dialogue and adherence to existing agreements remain essential to avoiding escalation and steering the region back toward cooperation.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
