NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Eritrea on Friday withdrew from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, accusing the East African regional bloc of nations of acting against the country's interests.
At the same time, the United Nations expressed concern over renewed tensions between Eritrea and neighboring Ethiopia, which signed a peace agreement 25 years ago.
Eritrea’s foreign ministry said in a statement Friday it was withdrawing “from an organization that has forfeited its legal mandate and authority; offering no discernible strategic benefit to all its constituencies and failing to contribute substantively to the stability of the region.”
Eritrea quit IGAD in 2003 and rejoined two years ago, but said Friday that the bloc had failed to contribute to regional stability. IGAD responded by saying Eritrea had not participated in regional activities since it rejoined.
In addition to Eritrea and Ethiopia, IGAD includes Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The organization works on regional policies concerning trade, customs, transport, communications, agriculture, natural resources and the environment, according to its website.
Eritrea and Ethiopia have in recent months accused each other of interference, sparking concerns over the possibility of a return to hostilities.
Ethiopia said it wants to peacefully gain Red Sea access through Eritrea, which it relied on heavily for trade before the secession. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in September it was a “mistake” to lose access to the sea when Eritrea gained independence in 1993 by seceding from Ethiopia to form a separate nation. Abiy’s rhetoric has been seen as provocative by Eritrea.
The office of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged the two countries to “recommit to the vision of lasting peace and the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The U.N. cited the Algiers Agreement signed in 2000, which ended nearly three decades of border war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The U.N. called for a recommitment to the agreement, which it described as a “crucial framework” for peace.
Eritrea accused Ethiopia in June of having a “long-brewing war agenda” aimed at seizing its Red Sea ports. Ethiopia recently claimed Eritrea was “actively preparing to wage war against it,” as well as supporting Ethiopian rebel groups.
FILE - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali attends a session at the World Atomic Week forum at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNKh) in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (Sergei Bulkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki is greeted as he arrives at Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, ahead of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), starting Wednesday. (Greg Baker/Pool Photo via AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Kelsey Plum scored 31 points to lead short-handed Phantom BC to the Unrivaled championship game as the top seed beat Vinyl 83-75 in the semifinals of the 3-on-3 league at Barclays Center on Monday night.
Phantom will face Breanna Stewart and second-seeded Mist after it rallied to beat No. 5 Breeze 73-69 in the second semifinal on a 3-pointer by Arike Ogunbowale from the corner.
The championship game will be Wednesday night at Unrivaled's home arena in Miami. The winning team will take home a prize pool of $600,000 that will be split among the players from the championship club.
Phantom was missing star forward Aliyah Boston, who is out for the playoffs with a right leg injury.
After the success of taking the league to Philadelphia in late January for a weekend that drew over 21,490 fans, Unrivaled decided to move the semifinals to New York a few weeks ago. Playing at Barclays Center was a homecoming for Stewart, the Unrivaled co-founder who led the New York Liberty to its first WNBA championship in 2024.
The star-studded sellout crowd of 18,261 included basketball greats Carmelo Anthony and Sue Bird; actors Ashton Kutcher and Jason Sudeikis, and gold medal-winning U.S. hockey player Hilary Knight.
The crowd gave a loud ovation to Liberty guard Natasha Cloud, who walked down to the court through the fans as she was introduced before the first game.
She gave them a lot to cheer about as she rallied Phantom in the third quarter from a 59-50 deficit. Cloud drew an offensive foul on one end and then had a three-point play on the other. Her team was up 71-64 heading into the final quarter, which means it needed 11 points to win under the league's format.
Vinyl got within 78-75 before Phantom scored the final five points, including the game-winner by Plum on a fadeaway 3-pointer.
Vinyl was looking to get back to the championship game. The team lost to Rose BC for last year's title. Dearica Hamby led the way for Vinyl with 30 points.
Hamby's Los Angeles Sparks teammate Rickea Jackson got Breeze going early in the second game, scoring 13 points in the opening quarter as the team went up 26-10. Mist rallied to within 44-38 at the half as Stewart hit a floater in the lane just before the halftime buzzer.
Breeze extended its advantage to 62-55 after three quarters before Stewart rallied Mist. Trailing 67-60 in the fourth quarter — with 73 points needed to win — Stewart scored seven straight, including a three-point play to tie the game.
Alanna Smith then hit a 3-pointer to give Mist its first lead of the game, 70-67. After a layup by Cameron Brink brought Breeze within one, Ogunbowale — who was celebrating her 29th birthday — ended the game when she hit a tough 3-pointer from the corner.
Paige Bueckers had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Breeze.
Chelsea Gray of Rose BC won the league's MVP award on Monday. The guard, who won Unrivaled's 1-on-1 tournament last month, averaged 24.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists. Gray broke her own league single-season assists record with 85 in 14 games. She had nine games with 20 or more points and 10 contests with five or more assists. She also tied the league single-game 3-pointers record with 10 on Feb. 22.
Gray accepted the trophy before the start of the first game.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who voted. I love this game. Want to be great every night and that's always my goal,” Gray said. “Women's basketball is where it's at, shows by all you guys coming out and watching us compete every single night.”
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Breeze BC guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrates after scoring during the first half of a semifinal an Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game against Mist BC, Monday, March 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Phantom BC guard Kelsey Plum (10) shoots over Vinyl BC guard Erica Wheeler (17) during the second half of a semifinal in their Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game, Monday, March 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Vinyl BC guard Erica Wheeler (17) drives past Phantom BC guard Kelsey Plum (10) during the first half of a semifinal in their Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game, Monday, March 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
