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by Hussein Sheikh-Ali
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Inter-Governmental Authority for Development was created Nov 25 1996 in Djibouti. The supposed member states are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan and Uganda. Since its inception the organisation failed to fulfil none of its fantasized goals and objectives.
Phantom Objectives;
The organisation “wished” accomplish to some ambitious goals with no real strategies. For example, they set to achieve open cross-border economy, improve infrastructure, food security and sustainable development, combat natural and man-made disasters, peace and stability, realise common market and finally develop in the field of research, science and technology.
After more than a decade the member states of IGAD are; the least developed in science and technology nations on earth, the most turbulent of all regions in the world, the most dangerous of corners of the world, the poorest neighbourhood, and the most hopeless of all peoples.
Why it did not achieve those noble objectives;
First of all, the member states have not dealt their internal problems before they leapt to regional prosperity and advancement. Virtually each member state was ruled by authoritarian regime who holds his own people hostages and made them victims of semi-cooked democracy and oppress all dissent.
Secondly, the region was already in deep conflicts both inter-state and civil wars. Sudan was bogged down conflict in the South and now in Darfur. Eritrea was almost fighting all of its neighbours and now immensely involved the Somali conflict. Ethiopia the regional power was and is involved multiple conflicts including Ogaden region and now occupied Somalia. Uganda was dealing with LRA conflict. Djibouti and Kenya maybe the composed and exception of this war ravaged region, though lately Kenya’s long tradition of relative stability was in real test.
Thirdly, the organisation is run by corrupted individuals who only anticipate the next opportune to pocket grandiose “development” projects donated by the EU, US, OECD, Etc.
I have came to contact with some low and high ranking secretariat during the Embagathi Conference and I assure you that their personal conducts as well as professional demeanour was at best non existence. They run the conference as though they supervising Kinder Garden. There were no rules and whole conference was in chaotic sphere at all times. The outcome of that conference is manifest of the current situation in Somalia.
Now the organisation is on its low, there were no regular meetings amongst the Head of States. Only Nairobi and Addis have the stomach to call IGAD meeting when there is no third participant, or call it meeting “The Heads of State and Government of IGAD Member States convened a consultative meeting in Addis Ababa on 1st February 2008 on the sidelines of the 10th Assembly of the African Union to discuss the prevailing situation in the Region” source IGAD Website.
Ethiopia thus far dominated the IGAD agendas, and the organisation derailed its splendid dream to a pity point scoring state of affair. Ethiopian regime set the agenda, Kenya and Uganda jump on the bandwagon, and the rest will gaze pathetically muffled.
In the meantime, the people in the Horn will continue to suffer, its leaders will hang on to their old tricks, and the whole world will continue to watch hopelessly.
And Somalia will be their playground, as it is the weakest link.
Hussein Sheikh-Ali
E-mail::[email protected]