IGAD leaders pose for a picture after a summit in Uganda. (-)

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan while also urging restraint between Ethiopia and Somalia over a controversial port deal.

The 42nd Extraordinary Assembly of the IGAD Heads of State and Government held in Uganda on Thursday, deliberated on the conflict in Sudan and the fresh tension between Ethiopia and Somalia over an agreement between Addis Ababa and its break-away Somaliland region.

Present in the summit were Djibouti’s president, Ismail Omar Guelleh, Kenya’s William Ruto, Somalia’s Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir Mayardit, and Uganda’s Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

But it was without key actors in the conflicts including representative of Ethiopia as well as Sudan’s junta led by General Abdal Fattah al-Burhan, which boycotted the meeting in protest against the diplomatic treatment of rebel leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The IGAD communique voiced deep concerns about “the recent developments regarding the relation between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Federal Republic of Somalia.

On January 2nd, 2024, Somalia declared that it would do whatever it took to maintain its territorial integrity in reaction to Ethiopia’s agreement with the Republic of Somaliland.

This followed the news that Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a deal that grants landlocked Addis Ababa access to the Red Sea via a port in Somaliland, in exchange for Ethiopia recognizing the self-administered region as a sovereign state.

Meanwhile, the regional bloc calls on Ethiopia to adhere to the principles of respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Somalia, while suggesting that the port deal should have been signed with the consent of Somalia.

“The IGAD summit called upon the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Federal Republic of Somalia to de-escalate tensions and instead engage in constructive dialogue,” the statement said.

On Wednesday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed difficulty in attending the IGAD extraordinary summit proposed for 18th January 2024, owing to an overlapping schedule.

Addis Ababa said in a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Djibouti and the IGAD Secretariat, that it was not able to participate in the meeting due to “commitment to a prior engagement and the short notice extended to convene the extraordinary summit.”

– Sudan ceasefire –

The regional bloc further voiced concerns about the continued fighting in Sudan and the dire security and humanitarian situation that it has caused.

“IGAD reiterated its call for the parties to the conflict to commit to dialogue and negotiation; and in this regard, expressed IGAD’s continued readiness to offer its good offices to facilitate an all-inclusive peace process to end the conflict in close collaboration with all Sudanese stakeholders, AU, and regional and international actors.

IGAD emphasized that Sudan does not only belong to the warring factions – the Sudanese Armed Force (SAF) and the Rapid Support Force (RSF), but also to the Sudanese people.

It “reiterated calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as well as cessation of hostilities to end this unjust war affecting the people of the Sudan to pave way for a political dialogue.”

IGAD also said it will utilize all “means and capabilities” to ensure the conflict in the Sudan is resolved peacefully and directed the IGAD Secretariat to provide an update to the Assembly.

It was resolved at the summit that the IGAD Secretariat and the African Union Commission will revise the Sudan conflict resolution roadmap that was adopted at the 14th Ordinary Session of the IGAD Heads of State and Government with clear timelines; and within one month to convene a Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led process towards a democratic Government in the Sudan.

Sudan’s de facto leader General Abdal Fattah Al-Burhan was absent at Thursday’s session in what is expected to undermine efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in Sudan.

But the commander of the Rapid Support Force (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo alias Hemedti, arrived in Uganda on Wednesday to attend the IGAD meeting.

The junta has accused the IGAD leadership of condoning alleged atrocities committed by the RSF in East Darfur by inviting General Dagalo at the event.

According to the United Nations, more than 12,000 people have been killed in war-torn Sudan since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces on 15 April 2023.