An extraordinary Igad summit to discuss tensions in the Horn of Africa
Ethiopian Prime Ministers Abiy Ahmed and Sudanese Prime Ministers Abdalla Hamdok, during their meeting on the sidelines of the extraordinary Igad summit, in Djibouti, December 20, 2020 © Office of the Sudanese Prime Minister, AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Faced with a particularly turbulent end of the year in the Horn of Africa, the Igad regional authority held an extraordinary meeting on Sunday in Djibouti, in the presence of the chairman of the African Union commission, to discuss the security challenges ahead.
The tension was palpable between the leaders of East Africa, in particular the Ethiopian and Sudanese leaders, whose forces have been clashing for a few days at the border.
Publicity
Read more
With our correspondent in Addis Ababa,
Noé Hochet-Bodin
"
The Horn of Africa today finds itself in a special situation, it faces more than one serious threat
."
Words signed by Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union (AU) commission which opened the summit in Djibouti.
A finding opposite to that of the
Ethiopian Prime Minister
, who boasts strong regional stability.
Because it is of him, Abiy Ahmed, that was mainly question this Sunday: the Intergovernmental Authority for the Development (Igad) awaited its explanations
on the crisis in Tigray
, which lasts for more than a month and a half.
The conflict spilled over into Sudan.
First with
the arrival of more than 50,000 refugees
, and then this week,
with clashes at the border between Ethiopian militiamen and the Sudanese army,
killing at least four people.
Rupture between Ethiopia and Sudan
Sudanese Prime Minister Abadallah Hamdok took the opportunity to repeat that one of the founding principles of Igad is the peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue.
A reminder that his mediation proposals were twice refused by Abiy Ahmed.
The other burning issue for Igad
is the severing of ties between Nairobi and Mogadishu
.
The
Somali and Kenyan presidents
also met on the sidelines of the summit.
►Also read
: Ethiopia: Refugees in Sudan testify to the continuing fighting in Tigray
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Horn of Africa
Ethiopia
Sudan
Kenya
Somalia
African Union
On the same subject
Ethiopia: report documents atrocities in Tigray
Reportage
Sudan: new rise in tension in the el-Fashaga triangle on the Ethiopian border
Kenya: after the break with Somalia, the rapprochement with Somaliland ever more burning