Eritrea rejoins East African Bloc IGAD

AFP | Eritrea has rejoined the East African bloc, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), nearly 16 years after the politically isolated state pulled out of the body, Information Minister Yemane Meskel said Monday.

“Eritrea resumed its activity in IGAD and took its seat” at a summit organized by the 7-nation bloc in Djibouti on Monday, Meskel said on Twitter.

“Eritrea affirmed its readiness to endeavor, in conjunction with all Member States, to the rejuvenation and effectiveness of IGAD and advancement of peace, stability and regional integration”, he added.

Eritrea suspended its membership of IGAD in 2007 following a string of disagreements, including over the bloc’s decision to ask Kenya to oversee the resolution of a border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia in 1993 and fought a two-year border war with its neighbor which poisoned relations until a peace agreement in 2018.