IGAD hails Somalia’s treaty ratification, strengthening regional cooperation and integration

MOGADISHU — The Intergovernmental Authority on Development on Wednesday welcomed Somalia’s ratification of the new IGAD Treaty, calling it a significant step toward stronger regional cooperation and integration across the Horn of Africa.

Somalia’s House of the People approved the treaty by show of hands after the agreement was presented by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar Balcad, who urged lawmakers to endorse it as essential to the country’s regional engagement and political stability. According to Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur, known as Madobe, 141 of 144 lawmakers present voted in favor, two opposed and one abstained.

“I extend my warm congratulations to the Federal Republic of Somalia on the ratification of the IGAD Treaty, and commend the Somali Parliament and Government for their decisive leadership in advancing this important milestone,” IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said in a statement. “As IGAD marks its 40th anniversary, Somalia’s ratification helps us reach the required two-thirds threshold. This strengthens the legal basis for deeper regional integration and more coordinated action in trade, peace and sustainable development across the Horn of Africa.”

The move makes Somalia the fifth IGAD member state to formally approve the agreement, alongside Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Kenya, bringing the bloc closer to fully operationalizing the revised legal framework that governs the regional organization.

The updated IGAD Treaty replaces the 1996 Agreement Establishing IGAD, following a revitalization process aimed at reinforcing the organization’s legal and institutional foundations. The new framework is designed to deepen cooperation among member states on peace and security, climate resilience, infrastructure development, health, trade and social development — areas IGAD says are central to the region’s stability and shared prosperity.

IGAD said Somalia’s ratification also marks an important milestone in Mogadishu’s engagement with regional mechanisms focused on peace, development and political cooperation, underscoring the country’s intent to work through multilateral channels as it consolidates domestic gains.

Somali officials said the vote reaffirms the country’s commitment to regional cooperation and to the principles of mutual respect, partnership and shared development that underpin IGAD. The government has sought to anchor foreign policy in closer ties with neighbors and to leverage regional platforms to address transboundary challenges that range from security threats and climate shocks to cross-border commerce and public health.

With two-thirds of IGAD member states now having ratified the treaty, the bloc is moving closer to implementing the renewed framework, a step regional officials say will strengthen collective responses to shared challenges and advance stability and development across the Horn of Africa.

By Ali Musa

Axadle Times international–Monitoring.