The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said on Tuesday it will not propose an initiative to resolve the political crisis in Sudan that erupted in wake of the October 2021 military coup.
IGAD’s role will be restricted to helping Sudan get out of this crisis, and to submitting reports to the Authority at the meeting to be held on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa next week.
“We are convinced that IGAD’s efforts should be limited to supporting the people of Sudan in facing the crisis. We do not want to dispel efforts, so we will not present a parallel initiative to solve the current crisis in the country,” IGAD’s Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said in a press conference concluding his visit to Khartoum.
Gebeyehu had arrived in the Sudanese capital on Sunday for a three-day visit, to hold talks with the military and political leaders.
“We know that the Sudanese are capable to prudently address the challenges they face. As a regional organization, of which Sudan is a member, we have come to assist the efforts made by its people,” Gebeyehu said.
He added that IGAD insists on playing a role in Khartoum by coordinating with the African Union and other international players.
“Accordingly, we held consultations with diplomatic representatives in Sudan, and we agreed not to present multiple parallel initiatives,” he stressed.
During his visit, Gebeyehu held talks with head of the Sovereign Transitional Council General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, as well as foreign diplomats and Sudanese political forces, during which he was briefed on the development of the situation and efforts to address the crisis.
His visit is the first direct official action by the African body since the Oct. 25 military coup.
The army takeover halted a power sharing arrangement between the military and civilians negotiated in 2019 after a popular uprising that forced the removal of longtime president Omar al-Bashir and his government.
