Eritrea announced on Friday, December 12, 2025, that it has withdrawn from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), accusing the East African regional bloc of undermining its national interests and failing to promote regional stability.
The decision comes amid renewed tensions between Eritrea and neighboring Ethiopia, whose leaders signed a landmark peace accord 25 years ago, ending decades of conflict.
In a statement issued by the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government said it was pulling out “from an organization that has forfeited its legal mandate and authority; offering no discernible strategic benefit to all its constituencies and failing to contribute substantively to the stability of the region.”
Eritrea first withdrew from IGAD in 2003 and only rejoined two years ago, but officials now say the bloc has not lived up to its purpose. In response, IGAD stated that Eritrea had not actively participated in its regional programs or meetings since rejoining.
The eight-member organization, which includes Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda, focuses on regional cooperation in trade, customs, transport, communications, agriculture, and environmental policy, according to its official website.
Growing Strains Between Eritrea and Ethiopia
Relations between Asmara and Addis Ababa have deteriorated in recent months, with both sides trading accusations of political interference and military provocations.
Ethiopia has expressed interest in regaining access to the Red Sea through Eritrean territory—access it lost when Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in 1993 to form an independent nation. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in September that it was a “mistake” for Ethiopia to have lost its access to the sea following Eritrea’s independence. His comments were viewed in Asmara as provocative and potentially threatening.
Eritrea later accused Ethiopia of harboring a “long-brewing war agenda” aimed at seizing its Red Sea ports, while Ethiopia countered by claiming Eritrea was “actively preparing to wage war” and supporting Ethiopian rebel groups.
U.N. Calls for Restraint
Amid rising tensions, the United Nations voiced concern on Friday and urged both countries to “recommit to the vision of lasting peace and the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The office of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres cited the Algiers Agreement of 2000, which ended nearly three decades of border conflict between the two nations. The U.N. described the agreement as a “crucial framework” for ensuring peace and stability in the Horn of Africa and called for its full implementation.
Eritrea’s withdrawal from IGAD marks another setback for regional diplomacy at a time when East Africa faces multiple overlapping crises—from conflict in Sudan to instability in Somalia—underscoring the challenges of maintaining unity within the bloc.
