Communique of the 68th extra-ordinary session of IGAD Council of Ministers on the situation in Sudan, the status of the South Sudan peace process, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden

The IGAD Council of Ministers held its 68th Extra-Ordinary Session on 19 June 2019 in Addis Ababa under the chairmanship of H.E. Gedu Andargachew, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the IGAD Council of Ministers.
The session was attended by H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Djibouti; H.E. Dr Monica Juma, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya; H.E. Ahmed Isse Awad, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Somalia; H.E. Nhial Deng Nhial, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Sudan; H.E. Amb. Elham Ibrahim Ahmed, Acting Foreign Minister of the Republic of the Sudan, H.E. Henry Okello Oryem, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda; H.E. Hirut Zemene, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; and H.E. Amb. Tom Amolo, Political and Diplomatic Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya; H.E. Siraj Fegessa, IGAD Director for Peace and Security on behalf of H.E. Mahboub Maalim, IGAD Executive Secretary; H.E. Amb. Abdoulaye Diop, Chief of Staff in the Bureau of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Dr Ismael Wais, IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan; H.E. Dr Mohamed Ali Guyo, IGAD Special Envoy for Somalia, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden; and H.E. Lt Gen Augostino Njoroge, Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) were also in attendance.

Representatives of AUC, the UN, the European Union, the IGAD Partners Forum, the Troika (Norway, UK and USA), and China made statements during the opening session. Other speakers in the closed session included Amb. Mohamoud Dirir, Special Envoy of Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed to the Sudan and Prof. Mohamed El-Hacen Lebatt, Special Advisor of the Chairperson of AUC.

After extensive deliberations on the situation in the Sudan, the Council:

1. Recalls the Communiqués of the 46th Ordinary Session of the IGAD Council of Ministers held on 27 February 2019 in Djibouti and the 67th Extra-ordinary Session of IGAD Council of Ministers on South Sudan held on 7 May 2019 in Juba;
2. Further recalls the decisions of the African Union Peace and Security Council adopted at its 840th Meeting held on 15 April 2019, 846th Meeting held on 30 April 2019, and 854th Meeting held on 6 June 2019 on the situation in the Sudan;
3. Expresses its deep regrets over the tragic incident of 3 June 2019, and calls on the TMC to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further loss of lives and further calls on all other parties to avoid actions that would escalate tensions.
4. Calls on all actors to be voice of reason and conduct themselves in the spirit of compromise and refrain from any act of violence as they work towards timely formation of a mutually acceptable civilian-led transitional government;
5. Commends and appreciates the initiative that the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Chairperson of the IGAD Summit, H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed has taken to mediate between the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) in the Sudan;
6. Acknowledges the good efforts of Amb. Mohamoud Dirir, Special Envoy of the Ethiopian Prime Minister for the Sudan; and decides to support the Special Envoy’s continued engagement in the process;
7. Commends and appreciates the works of the Special Advisor of the chairperson of AUC to the Sudan in the mediation process;
8. Takes note and appreciates the progress thus far made in the negotiations between the TMC and the FFC;
9. Considers the domestic and regional circumstances that have an impact on exacerbating the existing situation in the Sudan; and underscores the urgent need to work towards reinstating order and ensuring stability in the Republic of the Sudan;
10. Further underscores its concern over the interference of other external actors and proliferation of initiatives; and calls for all external actors to rally behind the IGAD and AU mediation process,
11. Affirms the need to take lessons from IGAD’s initiative taken to resolve conflicts and instability in the region and the continent; and calls for all IGAD Member States to make maximum efforts towards bringing lasting peace in the Sudan;
12. Expresses its commitment to urgently bring all actors in the Sudan together for the resolution of their differences and to ensure an allinclusive,
    Sudanese-led process and outcome that remedies the situation in the Sudan;13. Decides to be seized of the matter and assume a leading role to coordinate all efforts to bring sustainable peace in the Sudan; and calls on the international community to support IGAD initiative;
13. Also decides to coordinate its efforts with the Special Advisor of the chairperson of AUC based on the principle of subsidiarity and to ensure coherence and synergy between IGAD and AUC in the spirit of African solution to African problems;
    On the status of implementation of the pre-transition tasks of the peace process in South Sudan, the Council considered the report of the IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan and the statement of the Interim Chairperson of R-JMEC; and:
14. Takes note of the positive developments in the implementation of the R-ARCSS and calls on all Parties to the Agreement to continue their engagement in the peace process; and thanks the Special Envoy and the R-JMEC for their efforts;
15. Endorses the recommendations by the IGAD Special Envoy and the Interim Chairperson of R-JMEC;
16. Calls on the Government of South Sudan and all Parties of the Agreement to provide special protection to women and girls as they remain vulnerable; and urges R-JMEC and CTSAMVM to give special attention to the matter and report regularly;
17. Commend the South Sudanese parties for the continued relative calm and stability in the country;
18. Commend steps taken by South Sudanese parties to involve a woman representative to CTASAMVM;
19. Reiterates the importance of the special role of women in the peace process and urges all the Parties to abide by the provision of the Agreement on the participation of women in all institutions and mechanisms;
20. Urges the Government of South Sudan to urgently disburse the funds for the implementation of the critical pending tasks as pledged;
21. Takes note of the updates on the progress in implementing the pledges of IGAD Member States; Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda to provide logistical and technical support to the cantonment process;
22. Calls on the international community to reinforce the support that has been provided for the implementation of the R-ARCSS;
    After considering the report of the IGAD Special Envoy for Somalia, Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on the progress of the implementation of the 46th Ordinary Session of the IGAD Council of Ministers; the Council:
23. Recalls the communiqué of the 46th Ordinary Session of the IGAD Council of Ministers held on 27 February 2019 in Djibouti;25. Appreciates the works of the IGAD Special Envoy and commends the IGAD Secretariat for the support extended so far to the Special Envoy and the IGAD Task Force on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the discharge of their functions;
24. Welcomes the synergy created by the coordination between IGAD and the AU; and further welcomes Kenya’s offer to host the next session of IGAD Council of Ministers on this matter and requests Kenya to finalize arrangements with the IGAD Secretariat;
25. Calls on the Special Envoy to closely follow the matter and submit to the Council his report and strategic document;
26. Expresses gratitude to the People and Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for their warm hospitality extended to the delegations; and 29. Decides to remain seized of the matters.

Done on the 19th day of June 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia