NAIROBI: Eritrea on Friday withdrew from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, accusing the East African regional bloc of nations of acting against the country’s interests.
At the same time, the United Nations expressed concern over renewed tensions between Eritrea and neighboring Ethiopia, which signed a peace agreement 25 years ago.
Eritrea’s foreign ministry said in a statement Friday it was withdrawing “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.”
Eritrea quit IGAD in 2003 and rejoined two years ago, but said Friday that the bloc had failed to contribute to regional stability. IGAD responded by saying Eritrea had not participated in regional activities since it rejoined.
In addition to Eritrea and Ethiopia, IGAD includes Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The organization works on regional policies concerning trade, customs, transport, communications, agriculture, natural resources and the environment, according to its website.
Eritrea and Ethiopia have in recent months accused each other of interference, sparking concerns over the possibility of a return to hostilities.
Ethiopia said it wants to peacefully gain Red Sea access through Eritrea, which it relied on heavily for trade before the secession. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in September it was a “mistake” to lose access to the sea when Eritrea gained independence in 1993 by seceding from Ethiopia to form a separate nation. Abiy’s rhetoric has been seen as provocative by Eritrea.
The office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged the two countries to “recommit to the vision of lasting peace and the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The UN cited the Algiers Agreement signed in 2000, which ended nearly three decades of border war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The UN called for a recommitment to the agreement, which it described as a “crucial framework” for peace.
Eritrea accused Ethiopia in June of having a “long-brewing war agenda” aimed at seizing its Red Sea ports. Ethiopia recently claimed Eritrea was “actively preparing to wage war against it,” as well as supporting Ethiopian rebel groups.
Eritrea withdraws from regional bloc as UN expresses concern over tensions with Ethiopia
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Eritrea withdraws from regional bloc as UN expresses concern over tensions with Ethiopia
- Eritrea and Ethiopia have in recent months accused each other of interference, sparking concerns over the possibility of a return to hostilities
35 million Nigerians ‘risk hunger after global funding collapse’
- The UN can only aim to deliver $516 million to provide lifesaving aid to 2.5 million people this year, down from 3.6 million in 2025, which in turn was about half the previous year’s level
ABUJA: Nearly 35 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger this year, including 3 million children facing severe malnutrition, the UN said, following the collapse of global aid budgets.
Speaking at the launch of the 2026 humanitarian plan in Abuja, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohammed Malick Fall said the long-dominant, foreign-led aid model in Nigeria is no longer sustainable and that Nigeria’s needs have grown.
Conditions in the conflict-hit northeast are dire, Fall said, with civilians in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states facing rising violence.
BACKGROUND
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohammed Malick Fall said the foreign-led aid model in Nigeria is no longer sustainable and that the country’s needs have grown.
A surge in terror attacks killed more than 4,000 people in the first eight months of 2025, matching the toll for all of 2023, he said.
The UN can only aim to deliver $516 million to provide lifesaving aid to 2.5 million people this year, down from 3.6 million in 2025, which in turn was about half the previous year’s level.
“These are not statistics. These numbers represent lives, futures, and Nigerians,” Fall said.
He also said the UN had no choice but to focus on “the most lifesaving” interventions given the drop in available funding.
Shortfalls last year led the World Food Programme to also warn that millions could go hungry in Nigeria as its resources ran out in December and it was forced to cut support for more than 300,000 children.
Fall said Nigeria was showing growing national ownership of the crisis response in recent months through measures such as local funding for lean-season food support and early-warning action on flooding.
