June date set for China-sponsored Horn of Africa peace conference
- The talks in Addis Ababa are a departure from Beijing’s long-standing policy of non-intervention
- Co-hosts Ethiopia and Kenya represent the region’s two biggest economies and, along with other participants, have received substantial Chinese investments
Chinese ambassador to Sudan Ma Xinmin, in a meeting with the Sudanese acting undersecretary for the foreign ministry Nadir Yousif Al-Tayeb, said the conference was an “initiative from China to enhance stability, development and good governance in this important region”.
The Horn of Africa – which includes Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan, along with Kenya – has long been wracked by civil wars, Islamist insurgencies and military coups, most recently in Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia.
In October, Sudan’s military seized power, raising instability and putting at risk Chinese investment interests, especially in the petroleum industry.
And in Somalia, a resurgence of the jihadist fundamentalist group al-Shabab has led to terrorist attacks in Kenya, prompting Nairobi to send troops into the neighbouring country in a further threat to regional security.
