Somalia, Sudan peace efforts discussed in meeting between Ethiopian Foreign Minister and EU special representative

Somalia’s current security situation, Sudan peace efforts and other regional security issues were central topics during a meeting between Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Taye Atske-Selassie, and Dr. Annette Weber, European Union Special Representative for the Horn of Africa.

The discussions highlighted Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s peace efforts in Sudan.

Both Ambassador Atske-Selassie and Dr. Weber emphasized the need to support these initiatives and the importance of collaborative efforts within the African framework to achieve lasting peace in Sudan.

In addition to Sudan, the meeting addressed the ongoing situation in Somalia and other key issues impacting the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.

The two sides concurred on the necessity of further dialogue to enhance Ethiopia-EU strategic cooperation, as noted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.

According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, there are about 10 million internally displaced people in Sudan, making it the country with “the largest internally displaced population ever reported”.

Citing Unicef report, the Guardian reported that more than 7 million have been internally displaced since the war started, of whom about 4 million are children. “Child displacement goes along with multiple other crises as a result of the war,” said Mandeep O’Brien, Unicef’s country representative for Sudan. “Children face disease, malnutrition and hunger and close to 8.9 million are acutely food insecure.”