COMMUNIQUE OF THE 12TH SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF IGAD

The 12th Ordinary Summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) was held at the Sheraton Hotel Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 14th June 2008 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and was attended by H.E. Ismael Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti, H.E. Mwai Kibaki, President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Abdullahi Yusuf, President of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, H.E. Omar Hassan Ahmed El-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan and Honorable Sam Kuteesa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda.

 

The Summit reviewed the political and security situation in the region and received briefs by His Excellency Omar Hassan El-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, on the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The President of Somalia, H.E. Abdullahi Yusuf briefed the Summit on the political and security situation in Somalia and the national reconciliation efforts underway. H.E. Ismael Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti briefed the Summit on the situation at the Djibouti-Eritrea boarder.

On Sudan

The Summit,

• Commended the continued implementation of the CPA by the two parties, and welcomed the holding of the national census, and encouraged the parties to continue implementing all aspects of the CPA. The Summit called on the parties to always resolve their differences through negotiations in order not to unravel the CPA.
• Reiterated its commitment to follow closely the implementation of the CPA and in this regard called upon Ethiopia and Kenya the countries designated to represent the region to appoint Special Envoys to the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC).
• Noted with grave concern the recent outbreak of fighting in the area of Abyei that caused loss of lives and destruction of property. The Summitfurther welcomed the parties’ commitment to submit the issue of Abyei to arbitration, and their resolve to abide by and implement the award of the arbitration tribunal. however welcomed the recent agreement reached between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) to resolve the dispute through negotiations,
• Noted further with grave concern, the continued conflict in Darfur, and recalled the decision by the UN Security Council, and welcomed the deployment of the hybrid force of United Nations African Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), and urged the international community to provide the necessary resources to realise full deployment of the force.
• Deplored the recent attack on Omdourman by the rebels of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and called on them and all opposition groups to return to the negotiation table with a view to resolving the conflict in Darfur through dialogue and negotiations.
• Welcomed the recent visit of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to the IGAD region, and urged the Security Council to continue to be seized with the situation in the region, until peaceful resolution to all the conflicts in the region is achieved.

On Somalia

The Summit,

• Reviewed the situation in Somalia, and noted with grave concern the continued violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and underlined the need for those responsible to be brought to justice.
• Registered its serious concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Somalia and called on the parties and armed groups to take appropriate steps to protect the civilian population, and to ensure the safety and security of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), UN and humanitarian personnel, and permit the timely, safe and unhindered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need.
• Welcomed UNSC Resolution 1814 of 15 May 2008 in which the Security Council called for further contingency planning for possible deployment of UN peacekeepers to Somalia, as well as the relocation of the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) from Nairobi to Mogadishu.
• Welcomed further UNSC 1816 of 2 June 2008 authorising the use of force against piracy on the Somali coastline.
• Noted with appreciation the efforts of the President and Prime Minister of the TFG, and the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) in advancing the political process through reconciliation, and the implementation of the relevant steps of the transitional period as required by the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC).
• Commended the continued role played by Uganda and Burundi troops (AMISOM) and further the Ethiopian troops for their sacrifice to bring lasting peace and stability to Somalia. The Summit urged those countries that pledged to provide troops to AMISOM to do so without further delay, and in this connection called on the international community to provide the financial and logistical support required to complete the deployment.
• Expressed its support for the efforts being made by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) Ambassador Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, to reconcile the TFG and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) and in this connection welcomed the recent agreement concluded between the TFG and the ARS, and called on the parties to respect its terms.
• Called upon the UN Security Council to expedite the preparation to deploy UN Peace keeping troops to Somalia in view of the Agreement reached between the TFG and the ARS that envisaged the deployment of UN troops within 120 days.
• Finally expressed its appreciation to the Republic of Djibouti for hosting the Somali Peace Talks.

On the Border situation between Eritrea and Djibouti

The Summit,

• Expressed its serious concern over the recent military attack by Eritrean troops along the border between Djibouti and Eritrea.

• Condemned the action by Eritrean troops that led to loss of lives and injury and called upon the parties, in particular the Government of Eritrea to heed the call for restraint by the United Nations, the African Union and the League of Arab States and to receive fact finding missions to ascertain the situation on the ground.
• Deplored the use of force in settling disputes between states
• Called upon both parties, in particular Eritrea, to accept mediation to resolve the crisis through peaceful means and return to the status quo ante.
• Expressed its full support for the efforts being made by the UN and AU in addressing the conflict.
• Decided to remain seized of the matter and expressed its commitment to assist the parties in reaching a peaceful settlement.

On the Membership of Eritrea in IGAD

The Summit,

• Noted that the continued absence of Eritrea from IGAD has implications for peace and development in the region.

• Directed that a Ministerial delegation under the Chairmanship of Kenya with Sudan and the Secretariat as members, do engage the Eritrean delegation on the sidelines of the forthcoming African Union (AU) Summit meeting at Sham-Al-Sheikh with a view to convincing Eritrea to reconsider her decision to suspend her membership in IGAD.

On the Financial Situation of IGAD

The Summit,

• Reviewed the financial situation of IGAD Secretariat and at the accumulated arrears of contribution by Member States and renewed its commitment to support the organization by paying the outstanding arrears, and contributions on time.

On the EU-Horn of Africa Initiative

The Summit,

• Welcomed and endorsed the EU-Horn of Africa strategy as a vital contribution towards the development and integration of the IGAD region.
• Emphasised that the Initiative should fit into the priority areas identified by IGAD.
• Underscored that the strategy should be implemented through IGAD and in this connection decided to take all measures necessary to strengthen the IGAD Secretariat to enable it carry out this function.
• Noted with appreciation the firm commitment of the EC Commissioner for Development to mobilise the requisite resources for the implementation of the strategy.

On IGAD Programs

The Summit,

• Noted the contribution of IGAD’s programmes of: IGAD Capacity Building against Terrorism (ICPAT) and Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN) are making towards the promotion of peace and security in the region, and thanked the development partners for their continued support to these programmes.
• Noted further the IGAD Environment Outlook prepared by the Secretariat and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) which recognises the region’s natural resources, and directed the Secretariat to implement the NEPAD/Sub-Regional Environment Plan and IGAD’s Environment and Natural Resources Strategy.
• Observed that peace and security, and regional economic integration rest on natural resources and environment governance, and thus directed the Secretariat to launch a process in natural resources governance for sustainable development, as part of the peace and security agenda of the region.
• Noted with serious concern the soaring oil price and its effects on the economies of the region, and directed the Secretariat to launch a regional renewable energy security strategy and Protocol to mitigate the effects of the global oil prices.

On the Current High Food Prices

The Summit,

• Reviewed the current situation concerning high food prices and issued a separate Declaration on the same, and directed the Secretariat to implement the recommendations therein.

On the Revitalization of IGAD

The Summit,

• Directed the Secretariat to undertake an inventory of what has been achieved so far in terms of harmonization and regional integration, and make recommendations on the way forward.
• Further directed the Secretariat to develop and implement regional integration policies and programmes to make IGAD relevant as a building block of the AU.
• Decided to call for an Extra-Ordinary Council of Ministers and, if need be, a Summit of Heads of State and Government to discuss the way forward before the end of 2008.

On the Appointment of a new Executive Secretary of IGAD

The Summit,

• Paid tribute to Dr Attalla Bashir, the out-going Executive Secretary, for having ably steered IGAD for the last eight years.
• Approved the recommendation of the 27th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers, and appointed Eng. Mahboub M. Maalim as Executive Secretary of IGAD.

On Kenya’s Chairmanship of IGAD

The Summit,

Paid tribute to H.E President Mwai Kibaki, President of the Republic of Kenya for having ably steered IGAD for the past two years.

Done at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 14th June 2008.