Remarks · 12 June 2023
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COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE 14 ORDINARY SESSION OF THE IGAD ASSEMBLY OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT DJIBOUTI, REPUBLIC OF DJIBOUTI 12th June 2023 The 14th Ordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government was held on Monday, 12th June 2023, in Djibouti, the Republic of Djibouti, and was chaired by H.E. Malik Agar, the Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of the Sudan and representative of the Chair of the IGAD Heads of State and Government; and was attended by: H.E. Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti; H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; H.E. Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya; H.E. Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia; H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit; President of the Republic of South Sudan; H.E. Osman Saleh Mohammed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea and H.E. Gen. Al Hajj Odongo Jeje Abubakhar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda. Also in attendance were: H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; representatives of the IGAD Council of Ministers and Committee of Ambassadors; H.E. Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of the IGAD Secretariat; H.E. Hanna Serwaa Tetteh; United Nations Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa; H.E. Xue Bing, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of the People’s Republic of China; H.E. Agostino Palese, Ambassador of Italy to the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia accredited to IGAD and Co-Chair IGAD Partners Forum; representatives of European Union (EU), the Troika Countries (Norway, UK, USA), Japan, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Morocco as well as H.E. Amb. Ismail Wais, IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan and IGAD representative in the Trilateral Mechanism of the African Union, IGAD, and the United Nations for Sudan H.E. Amb. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai, the Interim Chair of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC); and H.E. Maj. Gen. Hailu Gonfa Eddosa, Chairperson of CTSAMVM. Arising from deliberations that followed statements by H.E. Malik Agar, the Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of the Sudan and representative of the Chair of the IGAD Heads of State and Government; the special report tabled by H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan, and convener of the IGAD HighLevel Delegation, on the Situation in the Republic of Sudan, and reports tabled by H.E. Workneh Gebeyehu (PhD), Executive Secretary of IGAD on the performance of the Secretariat, draft IGAD Treaty as well as the peace and security and humanitarian situation in the region; The Assembly, Thanked the people and Government of the Republic of Djibouti for hosting the 14th Ordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government and the warm welcome extended to delegates from Member States and other participants; Congratulated the People and Government of the Republic of Djibouti on the 46th Anniversary of independence as they prepare to celebrate on 27th June;
Wished H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, who was not able to attend the Ordinary Summit due to COVID-19, speedy recovery and good health; Welcomed the return of the State of Eritrea to the IGAD Family and resumption of its contribution and participation in the work of the Authority; Noted the progress made in the area of peace and security in the region and the active role played by IGAD and the Executive Secretary in peace making and peace building efforts in the region; and in this connection, committed to promote the equal participation of Women and mainstream gender considerations in IGAD’s work relating to peace and security; Congratulated Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda for successfully holding peaceful elections that contribute to the development of the nascent culture of democracy in the region, and the Republic of Kenya for continuing to lead by example in resolving electoral disputes through courts of law; Congratulated the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for the Agreement on Permanent Cessation of Hostilities and Silencing of the Guns in Northern Ethiopia signed on 2nd November 2022 as well as the Declaration of Senior Commanders on Modalities for the Implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities signed on 12th November 2022; and Called on the peace partners to maintain the momentum towards full and timely realization of the provisions of the agreement; Commends the African Union, the AU High-LevelPanel, and the African Union Commission, the AU Monitoring, Verification, and Compliance Mission, the IGAD Executive Secretary for supporting the implementation of this African Union-led and Ethiopian-owned successful peace process. Calls upon regional and international partners to support Ethiopia`s efforts for rehabilitation and reconstruction of conflict-affected areas in northern Ethiopia;
Expressed alarm regarding the continued fighting and the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Sudan and in this regard, commended the relentless efforts of IGAD High-Level Delegation led by H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan, towards the de-escalation and resolution of the conflict in the Republic of Sudan; Adopted an IGAD Roadmap for the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of Sudan with the following action points:
Include the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia as the fourth member of the IGAD High-Level Delegation for the Peace Process in the Republic of Sudan; and for H.E. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, to Chair the Quartet;
Quartet Leaders to arrange face-to-face meeting between H.E. Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the Chairperson of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of Sudan, and Gen. Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo in one of the regional capitals;
Within two (2) weeks secure a commitment from the Leadership of SAF and RSF to establish a humanitarian corridor;
Within three (3) weeks initiate an inclusive political process towards a political settlement of the conflict in the Republic of Sudan; Committed to closely collaborate and coordinate within the broader framework of the Core Group currently composed of AU, IGAD, UN, League of Arab States, EU, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK, USA, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan towards a single, coordinated, joined-up and comprehensive peacebuilding process in the Republic of Sudan; Underlined the importance of consultation and coordination with the Government of the Sudan regarding all-inclusive efforts aiming at solving the ongoing conflict; Appreciated the neighboring states of the Republic of Sudan particularly the Republic of South Sudan that in spite of their own limited resources and existing challenges, have opened up their borders to provide asylum and protection to refugees fleeing the conflict situation; and encouraged neighboring countries to adopt favorable policies, practices and/or measures that facilitate the movement into and within the territories of Member States of persons fleeing the conflict in Sudan; Commended the encouraging progress made by the Federal Republic of Somalia for the historic steps taken in organizing elections at National, Parliamentary and Federal Member States levels as well as Security Sector Reforms that have enabled the Federal Security Forces to make considerable gains in the fight against Al-Shabaab; Condemned the recent series of attacks staged by Al-Shabaab against civilians and ATMIS peace keepers; expressed condolences to the families of the victims and to the Republic of Uganda for the loss of its brave peacekeepers, and reiterated IGAD’s solidarity and commitment in the fight against terrorism; Called on the international community to provide the requisite political and financial support for the Somali National Consultative Council towards the finalization of the constitutional document and Election Model as well as its stabilization strategy; Called for the lifting of arms embargoes and sanctions that are obstructing the full capacitation of Somali security forces to combat Al-Shabaab and other similar threats to national security; Urged the warring parties in Las Anod to immediately cease hostilities and peacefully resolve differences through discussion and dialogue; Noting the commitment of the leadership of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) to hold national elections two (2) months before the end of the extended Transitional Period as stipulated by the 2022 Roadmap, urged the RTGoNU to expedite the implementation of key tasks that are critical for conducting elections particularly: the graduation and redeployment of Necessary Unified Forces; completion of the permanent constitution-making process; enactment of the National Electoral Commissions Act and reconstitution of the National Electoral Commission and Political Parties Council; and conducting a credible census; Lauded H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, for their statesmanship and wisdom in amicably resolving the dispute that arose over changes in the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs and the Ministry of Interior and called on the two leaders and the other peace partners to strengthen and develop this culture of dialogue, collegiality and compromise in order to peacefully resolve differences and disputes that may arise in the course of implementation; Concerned by the dire financial situation that IGAD agreement monitoring mechnanims find themselves in particularly CTSAMVM and R-JMEC as a result of significant scale down of support by partners, Called on Member States to fill in this gap by availing and mobilizing the required financial and political support for the two Agreement Mechanisms to be able to fully and effectively discharge their mandates; Cognizant of the fact that IGAD is one of the regions that produces the lowest carbon emissions in the world, it is nevertheless one of the most affected by climate change, Decided to endorse the recommendations of the high-level inter-ministerial meeting at the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), to establish the IGAD Climate Security Coordination Mechanism and cooperate with the AU and the UN to build the capacity of IGAD member states to anticipate, prevent and mitigate the outset of climate-induced conflict and displacement; Underscoring the susceptibility of the region to natural calamities that significantly contribute to conflict, displacement, food insecurity, and vulnerability to endemic and pandemic diseases particularly in refugee settings called on Member States to implement the IGAD Disaster Response
Strategy by incorporating its critical elements in national disaster response plans;
Recalling the Nairobi Declaration and Action Plan on Refugees, Returnees and Host Communities adopted during the Special Summit of the IGAD Heads of State and Government held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 25th March 2017; Decided in light of recent conflicts in the region, to intensify efforts with the support of the international community, towards comprehensive regional approaches that deliver durable solutions for displaced populations, whilst maintaining protection and promoting self-reliance in the countries of asylum, Further Recalling the adoption of the Protocols on Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance and the accompanying roadmaps for implementation by Member States; and Appreciating Member States that have already signed the IGAD Protocols on Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance; Appealed to Member States that have not yet done so to sign the Protocols to facilitate their ratification, domestication and implementation; Expressed gratitude to H.E. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of Sudan, for ably chairing IGAD over the past four years and Appointed H.E. Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti, as the new Chair of IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government and H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan, as the Deputy Chair; Renewed the term of the IGAD Executive Secretary, H.E. Workneh Gebeyehu, for a period of 4 years upon expiry of the current tenure of office on 28th November 2023; Resolved for the IGAD Council of Ministers to appoint two (2) Deputy
Executive Secretaries one of whom shall be from the Federal Republic of Somalia; Adopted the IGAD Treaty which will replace the 1996 Agreement Establishing IGAD in recognition of the need to put in place a more robust legal framework that broadens and deepens the areas of cooperation between Member States, and enhances the institutional and foundational basis of IGAD; Authorized the Executive Secretary to immediately start implementation of the revised Staff Regulations and Rules as part of the ongoing institutional reform with a view to enhance the efficiency and efficacy of human resources management and administration; Taking note of the significant decline in funding available to the IGAD Secretariat Urged Member States to honour the outstanding assessed contributions for the Financial Year 2023 and offset outstanding arrears from previous years; Committed Member States to an equal contribution of USD 3 million each towards the construction of the new IGAD Headquarters; Recognizing the transformative potential of critical initiatives established under the IGAD reform and revitalization program including; the IGAD Leadership Academy, the IGAD Council of Eminent Personalities as well as the IGAD Awards and Scholarship programs, Decided to closely follow-up the progress and fully support the operationalization of these institutions; and; Decided to remain actively seized of these matters. Done on 12th June 2023