Eritrea announces departure from IGAD regional bloc

Eritrea has announced its withdrawal from IGAD saying the East African regional bloc has strayed from its founding principles and failed to contribute to regional stability.

Asmara decision, announced by the foreign ministry on Friday, comes amid a fierce war of words between Eritrea and its neighbour Ethiopia.

Addis Ababa has intensified its demand for access to the Red Sea through Eritrea eliciting a fierce response from Asmara and raising fears of a renewed armed conflict

After a decades-long battle for independence, Eritrea officially seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, leaving the latter landlocked.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development said it regrets Eritrea’s decision but noted that it had not participated in IGAD meetings, programmes, or activities.

Eritrea previously left the bloc in 2007, during its border dispute with Ethiopia, rejoining only in 2023.