ABSTRACT
The history of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) differs substantially from other African regional organisations, such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). IGAD was founded late in 1986 by a minimal consensus among member states and was initially established as the Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Desertification (IGADD). This organisation confined itself to humanitarian emergencies and to food security, since drought and malnutrition was widespread in the Horn of Africa region. At the end of the Cold War, a military coup in Sudan brought to power an Islamist regime that seemed determined to destabilise its neighbours where a generation of ‘new leaders’ had just gained power. Along with state collapse and a failed United Nations intervention in Somalia, political elites realised that security was of tremendous importance to foster sustainable economic development. Thus, IGADD was renamed in 1996 to IGAD to underline its focus on regional security.
