Sudan suspends membership in IGAD East Africa bloc
2 Min Read
IGAD previously invited paramilitary head Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who has been at odds with Burhan for nine months, to a conference in Uganda to address the Sudan crisis.
-
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan speaks during a press conference at the General Command of the Armed Forces in Khartoum, Sudan, on October 26, 2021. (AP)
Sudan's war-torn government has told IGAD that it will suspend its membership in the East African group, according to the Foreign Ministry loyal to army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Saturday.
Khartoum had previously stated on Tuesday that it was suspending relations with IGAD after inviting paramilitary head Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who has been at odds with al-Burhan for nine months, to a conference in Uganda to address the Sudan crisis.
In early January, Sudan's military general and de facto leader, al-Burhan, rejected the most recent reconciliation attempts with his rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Instead, he affirmed his commitment to continuing a nine-month-long conflict with the RSF.
Both the military and the RSF have faced accusations from the US of committing war crimes.
Since the conflict began on April 15, at least 5,000 people have lost their lives, with over 7.5 million individuals displaced and substantial regions of Sudan left in devastation.
Despite various truce efforts, including those brokered by Saudi Arabia and the US, none have succeeded in bringing an end to the violence.
Sudan's Foreign Ministry said al-Burhan addressed a letter on Saturday to President Ismail Omar Guelleho of Djibouti, the bloc's current head, informing him of the withdrawal of Sudan from the bloc.
At its summit on Thursday, IGAD renewed its plea for "an immediate and unconditional ceasefire" in Sudan's "unjust war affecting the people," as well as the willingness to facilitate an "all-inclusive peace process," urging the two generals to meet and giving them a two-week deadline to do so.
Sudan's Foreign Ministry stated that this condition, which was placed on the agenda without Sudan's agreement, prompted it to take the additional step of suspending membership.
The Ministry also accused the summit communiqué of undermining Sudan's sovereignty and "wounding the sentiments of victims of rebel militia atrocities," referring to Dagalo's Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
IGAD has made numerous mediation attempts that have been unsuccessful.
