The Sudanese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that it is suspending its involvement with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) regarding the ongoing crisis in Sudan.
The move comes two days before a scheduled summit in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. IGAD had called for the summit to discuss developments in Sudan and Somalia.
The decision to freeze ties with the east African regional bloc is expected to deepen Sudan’s isolation in the region and increase tensions with regional and international institutions.
The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group have been fighting for nine months in a brutal war that has displaced millions.
On Tuesday, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the decision came after IGAD added Sudan to the agenda of a meeting scheduled for Kampala on January 18 and invited the RSF’s leader, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo – known as Hemedti – to attend.
The ministry criticized the invitation extended to Hemedti as a “dangerous precedent” in IGAD’s history and a violation of Sudan’s sovereignty, viewing it as a significant breach of the bloc’s charters and the rules governing international and regional organizations.
The Sudanese Sovereignty Council stressed the importance of implementing decisions from the previous IGAD summit held in Djibouti in December.
Two days ago, there was an attempt to arrange a meeting between Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hemedti.
However, Hemedti couldn't attend, citing “technical reasons,” and instead conducted a diplomatic tour in various African countries.
In other news, Rasha Awad, a spokesperson for the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Taqaddum), announced on Tuesday that al-Burhan has agreed to meet with Taqaddum, led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, without specifying when or where the meeting will take place.
