Sudan PM Abdalla Hamdok to head Igad
Sudan's new Prime Minister in the transitional government Abdalla Hamdok. PHOTO | EBRAHIM HAMID | AFP
What you need to know:
- IGAD adopted new organisational structure meant to make it "rule-based and predictable."
- Somalia to host blue economy conference next year
- IGAD wants sanctions imposed on Sudan and South Sudan lifted to help them recover their economies
- IGAD, however, delayed adoption of the draft Establishment Treaty which would have turned the bloc into a more expansive organisation with specialised organs.
Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has been picked to take over as next chairman of regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad).
The decision, reached by consensus, during the ongoing summit in Addis Ababa means, Sudan will take the mantle from Ethiopia which has held the position since 2010. The official communication is expected later on Friday.
But diplomats said the choice of Sudan was seen as compromise to avert possible fallout after Kenya and Djibouti sought the same seat.
Sudan will now hold the position for one year, giving PM Hamdok a new clout just months after he became the head of a transition government formed after the ouster of Omar al-Bashir. Ethiopia's PM Abiy Ahmed had been the chair since he took power in April 2018.
But his country had held the position through his predecessors Meles Zenawi and Hailemariam Desalegn successively since 2010.
This was the first Ordinary Summit in ten years, a fact that allowed Addis Ababa to dominate the bloc.
