IGAD Regional Bloc : Eritrea Announces Departure

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), is “losing relevance and becoming a tool for external interference”. The declaration is from Eritrean authorities who on Friday December 12, 2025 announced their departure from the regional bloc. In a statement, Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry said “IGAD has regrettably become a tool against our country and the wider region,” adding that it had strayed from its founding principles and failed to promote regional stability. IGAD responded Friday that, since Eritrea’s return, it has not participated in any meetings, programmes or activities, and that Eritrea “has not put forward any tangible proposals nor constructively engaged with ongoing reform processes.”
The withdrawal comes amid escalating tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which have a history of deadly conflict. The two fought a brutal border war from 1998-2000 that killed tens of thousands. Peace was declared in 2018, but recent statements by Ethiopian officials questioning Eritrea’s sovereignty and seeking sea access have renewed friction. Eritrea previously left IGAD in 2007 amid a border conflict with Ethiopia and re-joined only in 2023 after accusing IGAD of bias, especially the bloc’s current executive secretary who is a former Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebe...