Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the IGAD Council of Ministers held
The 36th Extraordinary session IGAD Council of Ministers was held on 15th June, in Addis Ababa. The meeting was called to assess the prevailing political and security situation in Somalia with a view to ensuring that IGAD plays a more proactive role in addressing the challenges facing the country. The recent crisis encountered within Parliament, the approaching of the end of the transition period, the Agreement signed between the TFG and Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama (ASWJ) on 15th March 2010 and the need for its full implementation were some of the issues discussed. In addition, the meeting also deliberated on attempts to launch parallel peace initiatives that would have a negative effect on the Djibouti process.
The Council received a detailed briefing from Mr. Abdirazak Osman Hassan, Minister of Posts and Telecommunication of the TFG, and Mr. Kipruto Arap Kirawa, IGAD Facilitator for the Somalia Peace and National Reconciliation, on the current political and security situation in Somalia. Following the briefing session, the Council deliberated at length on the various aspects of the challenge Somalia is facing. A Communiqué was issued at the end of its meeting.
In its Communiqué the Council recalled with serious concern the recent development among the leadership and congratulated them for handling the crisis responsibly. It also commended the Agreement signed between the TFG and Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama and strongly urged the parties to implement the Agreement. The Council also welcomed the MoU signed between IGAD, AMISOM and UNPOS on 28th April which provided for coordination of their activities in Somalia. It condemned the terrorist attacks by extremist elements which caused loss of civilian lives, injury and destruction of property, and reiterated its call on the UN to assume its responsibility by deploying a UN peacekeeping mission in Somalia to take over from AMISOM.
The Council reiterated the central role of IGAD on matters pertaining to Somalia and called for the avoidance of proliferation of initiatives. The ministers were emphatic in stressing that the status quo should be changed in Somalia and that the prevailing security situation should not be tolerated. In this connection, the Council recommended to the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government that an urgent extraordinary summit should be convened at the earliest opportune time to review the serious political and security development in Somalia and the region with the objective of re-engineering the whole process. In the meantime, efforts would also be made to assess the security situation on the ground for the purpose of taking the appropriate steps. The meeting clearly supported changing the status quo while affirming IGAD’s leading role in the affairs of Somalia in a more systematic and persistent manner.
During the meeting, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Djibouti, Mr. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, briefed the Council on the mediation efforts by Qatar between Djibouti and Eritrea. The Council on its part decided to encourage the positive developments and also underscored the necessity for Eritrea to carry out all its obligations under the UN Security Council Resolution 1907 (2009).