Ethiopia Played Distinctive Role in Peace, Security as IGAD Chair: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Addis Ababa December 27/2019 Ethiopia has been at the forefront in dealing with regional peace and development matters since the inception of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in 1996, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ethiopia, which chaired IGAD during the past ten years, had hugely contributed toward  improving peace and security in East Africa in particular.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Nebiyat Getachew said Ethiopia’s leadership in IGAD was critical and served as a springboard in shaping the future activities of the organization.

The country's role in maintaining peace and security had been very critical to the organization when "it is at the helm till Sudan took over the position during the 13th Ordinary Summit of the IGAD held in Addis Ababa on November 29th, 2019,"  he added.

Under Ethiopia’s leadership, IGAD made tremendous efforts to have strong regional governments that fight against terrorism and transnational security threats that "are formidable menaces of security and the dominant disrupter of stability in the East African Region."

Nebiyat pointed out that "there was no strong government in Somalia just a decade ago, and we had a very protracted conflict in South Sudan. In the face of those challenges, Ethiopia entirely dedicated itself to bring peace and stability to the Horn of Africa."

According to the spokesperson, Ethiopia’s role was also vital in enabling IGAD to make lengthy negotiations that resulted in making the two major conflicting parties in South Sudan and the government sign the 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS).

Furthermore, as chair of IGAD Ethiopia, together with the AU, closely assisted the reconciliation and understanding of the Sudanese stakeholders after the fall of President Basher.

The signing of the political and constitutional declaration and the formation of a Transitional Civilian Government in Sudan on August 21, 2019, in response to the demand of Sudanese people, displayed Ethiopia’s distinctive contribution, Nebiyat elaborated.

Acknowledging that the security affairs of Horn of Africa still requires a determined regional approach to nurture a long-lasting stability and counteract the menace, the spokesperson underscored that Ethiopia, together with the other IGAD member countries, is paving the way for a promising region.

"I can say that the Horn is currently at a relative stability and has become a hopeful region. Now we are talking about more social and economic integration, though we still have peace and conflict issues at hand. But we are very much hopeful this would be solved down the road."

Noting that Ethiopia has been reinforcing a far-reaching reforms and new diplomatic approach, Nebiyat added that the country's comprehensive contribution will strengthen the East African region.