ADDIS –ABABA – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Wednesday 19 convened the 68th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Ministers meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The purpose of the meeting was to assess the ongoing situation in the Republic of Sudan and also review the status of implementation of the pre-transition tasks of the peace process in the Republic of South Sudan.
It is to be recalled that, in their 67th Extraordinary Session held recently in Juba, the IGAD Council of Ministers reaffirmed the continued engagement and commitment of IGAD member States in regard to the situation in Sudan. These efforts are to be undertaken in a coordinated manner, within the confines of the African Union (AU) framework.
In attendance are Ministers and Representatives of the IGAD member countries namely; Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. Representing Uganda is Hon. Okello Oryem Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
The 67th Extra-Ordinary Session was held on 7th May 2019 in Juba, South Sudan, under the chairmanship of H.E. Gedu Andargachew, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to deliberate on the status of the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) and the way forward.
The meeting was attended by H.E. Sam Kutesa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda; Hon. Nhial Deng Nhial, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Sudan; H.E. Hirut Zemene, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; H.E. Abdulkadir Ahmedkheyr Abdi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Somalia; Hon. Ababu Namwamba, Chief Administrative Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya; H.E. Mohamed Ali Hassan, Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Djibouti; and H.E. Isam Idris Ibrahim, Minister Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Republic of Sudan.
The meeting was also attended by H.E. Dr. Ismail Wais, IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan; H.E. Amb. Lt. Gen. Augostino S.K Njoroge, the Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC); Hon. Siraj Fegessa, IGAD’s Director of Peace and Security representing the Executive Secretary of IGAD and Hon. Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, Secretary to the National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC).
The representatives of the AU, UNMISS, EU, the Co-Chairperson of the IGAD Partners Forum (IGAD-IPF), the representatives of the Troika on South Sudan (US, UK, Norway), and representatives of China were also present at the opening session and made statements.
After listening to the reports of the IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan, the Interim Chairperson of RJMEC and the Secretary of the NPTC.