Sudan PM elected chairperson of regional body IGAD

Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdock has been elected chairperson of the regional political bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, IGAD.

IGAD Heads of State and government representatives met for the 13th Ordinary Summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa where Hamdock was elected leader.

He takes over from his Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who has been in the role since 2018 when he came into office.

“Our region is making good progress and with political will and commitment, regional integration efforts for collective prosperity will materialize in the spirit of MEDEMER,” Abiy said in a tweet.

Among the leaders that joined the meeting were Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir, Somalia’s Mohammed Abdullahi Farmaajo, Djibouti’s Omar Guelleh.

Monica Jumah, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister was in attendance along with the African Union chief and ex-South Africa president Thabo Mbeki representing the United Nations.

The IGAD secretariat is currently headed by ex Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister Workneh Ghebeyehu. He took over from Kenya’s Ambassador Mahboub Maalim.

IGAD members comprise countries from the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and Eritrea), the Nile Valley (Sudan and South Sudan) and the African Great Lakes region (Kenya and Uganda).