Mudavadi links regional conflicts to high fuel costs, calls for peace in horn of africa
Africa
By
Kanyiri Wahito
| Apr 28, 2026
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has called on African countries experiencing fuel shortages to renew efforts to resolve regional conflicts, saying lasting peace is key to stabilising fuel prices.
Speaking during an IGAD conference at Safari Park Hotel, Mudavadi said the ongoing Middle East conflict has reignited the urgency of finding sustainable peace and ending armed conflicts within the region.
“It remains impossible to create mechanisms to foster internal trade within the region as long as millions of people are facing starvation, armed struggle and death,” he stated.
African countries’ dependence on Middle East fuel has exposed them to rising prices, largely driven by disruptions linked to the naval blockade at the Strait of Hormuz.
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Mudavadi noted that the Horn of Africa has the potential to secure alternative fuel supplies from Sudan, Uganda and South Sudan, as well as gas from Tanzania and Mozambique.
“There is need to welcome support from our friends in other continents, but African conflicts require African solutions for lasting peace and stability in our region,” he added.
Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), expressed confidence that the regional bloc has the capacity to restore peace in the Horn of Africa.
Highlighting the ongoing conflict in Sudan, Gebeyehu said mediation efforts have fallen short.
“We must also speak plainly about Sudan. Three years into a devastating war, mediation has not stopped the carnage. Despite sustained efforts, the latest being the Berlin Conference—including by multilateral institutions—we have neither halted the fighting nor secured a credible political process. This is failure. And it must be acknowledged,” he said.
“If mediation cannot make a difference in Sudan, its credibility everywhere is at risk.”
Mudavadi warned that unless Africa adopts solutions driven by institutions such as the African Union and IGAD, conflicts will continue to drive up the cost of commerce, logistics and other sectors.
“Unless Africa adopts initiatives that are provided by the African Union, IGAD to solve these conflicts in our region, commerce, logistics and other sectors will face a high cost of operation that eventually affects the standard of life for our people,” he concluded.