Eritrea has formally announced its decision to withdraw from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). In an official statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 12 December 2025, the government declared that it is “compelled to withdraw its membership from an organization that has forfeited its legal mandate and authority; offering no discernible strategic benefit to all its constituencies and failing to contribute substantively to the stability of the region.”
The statement recalls that Eritrea played a pivotal role in IGAD’s revitalization in 1993, working alongside other member states to strengthen the organization. However, it argues that IGAD has gradually drifted from its core goals of promoting regional peace, stability, and economic integration. According to Asmara, the bloc has instead “played a deleterious role,” deliberately acting against Eritrea’s interests.
The statement notes that this is not the first time Eritrea has distanced itself from the bloc. The country suspended its membership in April 2007 and only reactivated it in June 2023, a move Eritrea now suggests was premature given the organization’s continuing shortcomings.
The government concludes that IGAD has lost its relevance and strayed from its statutory obligations, leaving Eritrea with no option but to withdraw once again from an institution it no longer trusts or considers strategically useful.
