• The appointment of former Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu’s as Igad executive secretary is yet to be effected, despite his appointment letter indicating he’d take over on November 1.
• Outgoing executive secretary Ambassador Mahboub Maalim of Kenya was until November 3 receiving accreditation from incoming envoys to Igad.
Image: COURTESY
The push and pull in the Horn of Africa over the next executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development has further delayed the succession process.
The appointment of former Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu’s as Igad executive secretary is yet to be effected, despite his appointment letter indicating he’d take over on November 1.
Outgoing executive secretary Ambassador Mahboub Maalim of Kenya was until November 3 receiving accreditation from incoming envoys to Igad.
He received the letter of credence from ambassador of the EU Delegation to Djibouti and Igad Aidan O'Hara.
On Tuesday, Maalim also opened the 13th IGAD Committee of Directors in preparation for the upcoming Committee of Ambassadors scheduled for Thursday, November 7. Gebeyehu was in attendance.
This is despite Maalim welcoming “Igad designate executive secretary Gebeyehu” and introducing him to senior staff members at the headquarters in Djibouti on Tuesday.
In his address to staffers, Gebeyehu expressed his eagerness to start work for the betterment of the Igad region.
He later paid a courtesy call to Djibouti Foreign Affairs minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, accompanied by Maalim and Ambassador of Ethiopia to Djibouti Abdulaziz Mohammed.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, who is also the Igad chairman, appointed Gebeyehu in a letter dated October 22.
“.... I am pleased to confirm your appointment as the IGAD Executive Secretary. In accordance with the agreement establishing Igad, your appointment is for four years in effect as of November 1,” the letter read in part.
Somalia and Djibouti are, however, opposed to the decision and want one of them to take up the position. Diplomats opposed to the appointment saying it was a “unilateral decision” by Ethiopia.
Somalia and Djibouti want the successor to be appointed based on a rotational basis as Kenya and Ethiopia have dominated the Igad leadership for more than a decade.
Djibouti, however, now finds itself in an unfavourable position as it has fallen out with Kenya over its decision to vie for the UNSC non-permanent seat despite African Union endorsing Nairobi.
Maalim took over from Attalla Bashir of Sudan, who had served two four-year terms between 2000 and 2008 and was due to retire in 2016 after serving tenure.
But the position has been held by Kenya since 2008 after his term was extended in 2016, with Ethiopia having the chairmanship.
The first chair was the late Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi, followed by Hailemariam Desalegn, and currently PM Abiy.
The two countries are also opposed to speculation that Kenya and Ethiopia also want to swap the chairmanship position.
Due to this controversy, a diplomatic source said Gebeyehu has been asked to wait for official confirmation from the Igad Summit.
Procedurally, the signing of the letter appointing should have been preceded by the Summit — which has not been held since 2008 —, in which a communiqué indicating the country that becomes the new chair and as to who becomes the new Igad executive secretary is released.
Igad Heads of State and Government are set to convene in a few weeks to decide on who takes up the chairmanship and executive secretary position.
Endorsing his successor, however, Maalim said Gebeyehu has vast experience in diplomacy having served as a Foreign Minister of Ethiopia and chair of Igad Council of Ministers.
“He brings to the organisation considerable experience of foreign, and peace and security policies,” Maalim said.
Nuur Mohamud Sheekh said, the head, Liaison and Partnerships, Igad Special Mission to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Somalia said Ambassador Maalim is credited with turning Igad Secretariat into a robust body that deals on equal footing with important partners such as EU Commission, the United Nations, World Bank and the African Development Bank.
On March 8 this year, Gebeyehu was appointed as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi to succeed Hanna Tetteh of Ghana, who was appointed as Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union.