Draft Communiqué of the 28th extra-ordinary session of the IGAD assembly of heads of state and government on somalia.

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA, 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016

The IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government held its 28th ExtraOrdinary
Summit on 13th September 2016 in Mogadishu, Somalia, under
the Chairmanship of H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of the
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the IGAD
Assembly.
The Summit was attended by H.E. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, President of
the Republic of Kenya; H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the
Federal Republic of Somalia; H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of
the Republic of Uganda; H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Minister for
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Djibouti; H.E. Mohamed Yousif
Abdelmannan, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to Somalia; and
H.E. Mahboub Mohamed Maalim, Executive Secretary of IGAD.
The Summit was also attended by the representatives of the United
Nations (UN), the African Union Commission, the League of Arab States
and the European Union. It was briefed by H.E. Mohamed A. Affey,
IGAD Special Envoy to Somalia. After holding extensive discussions on
the developments in Somalia, the Summit issued the following
communiqué.
The Summit:
1. Reaffirmed its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity,
political independence, and unity of Somalia;
2. Welcomed the update of the Federal Government of Somalia
(FGS) on the implementation of the 2016 electoral process;
3. Reiterated the ownership of the FGS in leading and setting the
priorities for its stabilization and reconstruction in an all-inclusive
manner;
T + 253 21 35 40 50 F + 253 21 35 69 94 E info@igad.int
Avenue Georges Clemenceau, Djibouti P.O. Box 2653, Republic of Djibouti
www.igad.int
4. Commended the recent Somali National Leadership Forum (NLF)
meeting in Mogadishu on the 2016 electoral roadmap and
endorsed its outcome;
5. Welcomed the FGS commitment to a credible, transparent and
inclusive electoral mechanism towards a peaceful and
democratic transition;
6. Encouraged all Somalis to participate in the 2016 electoral
process and hoped that free and fair elections are conducted
within the timelines;
7. Commended the progress made in the state formation of the
country and encouraged the swift completion of Hiraan and
Middle Shabelle State formation;
8. Requested the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to
provide all necessary security to the electoral process;
9. Condemned the recent Al Shabaab attack against the AMISOM
and the Somali National Army (SNA) in Somalia and their
continued attacks against the civilian population;
10.Called upon AMISOM troops and the Somalia Security Forces to
expand their operations, deal with evolving terror threats and
immediately recover the remaining areas controlled by Al
Shabaab;
11.Called for the establishment of an economic recovery fund with
support from the region and the international community;
12.Urged the international community to support the FGS
development plans and programs, especially infrastructure
connectivity and social services through the IGAD Third-Party
Financing Mechanism and any other bilateral arrangements;
13.Reaffirmed the strong solidarity among IGAD Member States and
their commitment to continue supporting the stability of Somalia;
14.Expressed appreciation for international partners and
organizations that are currently providing financial, material and
technical assistance to the FGS;
15.Strongly condemned and deplored those seeking to destabilize
the security, peace and stability of the country, and urges all
T + 253 21 35 40 50 F + 253 21 35 69 94 E info@igad.int
Avenue Georges Clemenceau, Djibouti P.O. Box 2653, Republic of Djibouti
www.igad.int
Somali actors to embrace the process of bringing back normalcy
to the country;
16.Encouraged the voluntary return of all Somali refugees to
participate in the national building efforts;
17.Committed to collectively address refugee situation in the region,
as well as convene a special summit on durable solutions and
effective reintegration of returnees in the country;
18.Requested the IGAD Chair to bring to the attention of the World
Humanitarian Conference on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly in New York the dire need for humanitarian intervention
in the region;
19.Commended the remarkable efforts of the IGAD Secretariat and
its Somalia Facilitation Office towards peace and stability in the
country;
20.Directed the IGAD Council of Ministers to convene before end of
the year to dispose off pending policy and administrative issues
at the IGAD Secretariat;
21.Expressed its appreciation to the Government and the People of
Somalia for hosting this Extra-Ordinary Session; and
22.Decided to remain seized of the matter.
Done in Mogadishu, Somalia on 13th September 2016