By Shafi’iMohyaddin Abokar
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Somali President Hassan Sheik Mahmoud has flown to Nairobi for an urgent IGAD summit slated in Kenya for 27th of December which will focus on the troubled situation of South Sudan, where fierce fighting has been raging between government and rebels for the past several weeks.
Heads of state of IGAD member nations will try to consolidate the fragile ceasefire between the warring sides in South Sudan, although sporadic fights were reported in some areas in the country despite IGAD foreign ministers mediated a ceasefire between the Juba government and the rebels earlier in the week.
In their recent mediation attempts IGAD foreign ministers met with the president of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit who promised an unconditional ceasefire plus the launch of negotiations with the rebels in a bid to reach a lasting solution for the anarchy in the world’s newest country.
According to a presidential statement, the Somali President will address at the IGAD summit, and during his address president Hassan Sheik Mahmoud is expected to illustrate how the IGAD member nations might have confirmed a concrete and lasting solution for the armed confrontations in the country in a bid to prevent further human casualties.
“Somali president will urge IGAD member nations to try hard to help South Sudan’s government solve the problems the new country is experiencing currently” the Somali Presidential statement carried.
The statement added that at the sidelines of the IGAD summit, Somali president will hold meetings with his counterparts as part of Somali government’s efforts to strengthen its diplomatic and cooperative ties with countries in the region.
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