COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE 38TH EXTRAORDINARY ASSEMBLY OF IGAD HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT

 

The 38^th Extraordinary Assembly of IGAD Heads of State and Government was held on 20^th December 2020 in Djibouti, the Republic of Djibouti, chaired by H.E. Dr. Abdalla Hamdok, Prime Minister of the Republic of Sudan. The Assembly 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. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya; H.E. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia; H.E. Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior Garang’, Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan; and H.E. Amb. Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Also, in attendance was 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 Negewo, Executive Secretary of IGAD; H.E. Amb. Ismail Wais, IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan; and H.E. Amb. Mohamed Ali Guyo, IGAD Special Envoy for the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Somalia.

Arising from deliberations that followed statements by H.E. Dr. Abdalla Hamdok, Prime Minister of the Republic of Sudan and Chairperson of the Assembly; Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and reports tabled by the IGAD Secretariat;

The Assembly,

 

On Sudan

1. Commended the people and government of Sudan on the 2^nd anniversary of the popular revolution and appreciated the progress made so far in the democratic transition of Sudan;

 

2. Congratulated the people and Government of Sudan and the peace process parties on the signing of the Juba Peace Agreement on 3^rd October 2020, and urged the Parties to faithfully and fully implement the provisions of the Agreement; and in relation to this appreciated and applauded the exemplary role of the Government of South Sudan in hosting and successfully mediating the peace talks;

 

3. Called upon the Government of the Sudan and other parties to establish the Transitional Legislative Council without further delay;

 

4. Further congratulated the people and Government of Sudan for being de-listed from the US ‘list of state sponsors of terrorism’, enabling Sudan to access development credit from international financing institutions and paving the way to economic recovery and development, and Appealed for the cancellation of Sudan’s debt to accelerate this process;

 

On South Sudan

 

5. Congratulated the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) and the Parties for the commendable progress made in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS);
6. 6. Recognized and applauded the progress made in the formation of state and local government structures, in particular the appointment of nine out of the ten State Governors, as well as the agreement on the allocation of positions at the State and Local levels; and Called for the expeditious conclusion of the remaining appointment;

    

   7. Appreciated the resumption of the peace talks between the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) and the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) and commended the R-TGoNU and SSOMA for their commitment to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement of 21^st December 2017;

    

   8. Acknowledged the milestones achieved through the Rome Initiative towards engaging the non-signatory groups to the peace process in South Sudan and the need to bring the talks and the negotiating parties closer to the people of South Sudan;

    

   9. Underscored that currently there are no travel restrictions of any kind imposed by IGAD on the First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, Dr. Riek Machar Teny;

    

   On Ethiopia,

   10. Received a briefing by H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of Ethiopia on the operation in the Tigray region, and Reaffirmed the primacy of constitutional order, stability and unity of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia;

    

   11. Welcomed the agreement of 29^th November 2020 allowing “unimpeded, sustained and secure access” for humanitarian support;

 

On Somalia

 

13. Noted the preparations Somalia is making for federal elections in February 2021 and to this end, welcomed the Somali-led and Somali-owned 17^th September 2020 Agreement and the Protocols signed between the Federal Government and the Federal Member States’ leaders;

 

14. Further noting the importance of implementing the Agreement, called upon the Federal Government, Federal Member States and other stakeholders to resolve any electoral management disputes through confidence and consensus-building in a manner that respects the spirit of the Dhusamareb process and the Agreement of 17^th September 2020 on the revised election model as well as implementation protocols, so that timely elections embraced by the Somalia people can take place;

 

15. Appreciated the efforts and milestones registered by Somalia Security Forces with the support of AMISOM in containing and combatting Al Shabab;

 

16. Commended the resumption of the talks between the Federal Republic of Somalia and Somaliland, and appreciated the role of regional leaders and the region in hosting and facilitating the talks;

 

On the COVID-19 Pandemic

 

17. Thanked the European Union for the swift, timely and generous support to the IGAD Regional Response Strategy to COVID-19 with particular focus on vulnerable populations in cross border areas, trade points, migration centers, refugee camps and host communities;

 

18. Also thanked the IGAD Secretariat for the admirable work in mobilizing funds and coordinating with line ministries of Member States, and directed the Secretariat to continue mobilizing the required funds and to redouble efforts in effectively combating the epidemic;

 

19. Noting that the Covid-19 Vaccine is a public good, Emphasized the need for the international community to come together to ensure fair, equitable and timely distribution of a safe and affordable COVID-19 vaccine and guarantee that African countries shall not be left behind;

 

20. Directed IGAD to support the efforts of Member States in registering for the Corona Vaccine initiative, and put in place coordination frameworks to ensure equal access to the Corona Vaccine for vulnerable populations;

 

On Humanitarian Response

 

21. Cognizant of the need for timely humanitarian response to address recurrent disasters affecting the people of the region, Endorsed the decision of the IGAD Ministerial Committee of 22^nd April 2013 to establish the IGAD Disaster Response Fund and further establish the IGAD Disaster Operations Centre;

 

And;

Decided to remain actively seized of these matters.