Sudan has decided to suspend its membership of IGAD, over disagreement about the treatment of RSF leader Gen. Dagalo.
Sudan has announced that it is suspending its membership of the regional bloc IGAD, which has been trying to mediate a peaceful resolution to the ongoing civil war in the country.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is an organization of eight north-east African states – Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia – that aims to promote economic development and regional security in the area. It was established in 1996 and has a vision of transforming north-east Africa into a “continental beacon of regional peace, stability, and security by 2050”.
IGAD has played a significant role in the past in facilitating peace processes in the region, such as the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the long-running war between Sudan and South Sudan, and the 2004 Transitional Federal Government that restored some order in war-torn Somalia. IGAD also deployed its military forces in Somalia before the African Union mission took over the responsibility of combating the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab.
However, IGAD’s efforts to end the current conflict in Sudan have been met with resistance and criticism from Sudan’s government, which is led by the military after a coup in 2019. The conflict erupted in April 2020, when a power struggle between the army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, turned violent. The RSF, which was formerly a militia allied with the ousted president Omar al-Bashir, has since gained control of large swathes of the country, including the capital Khartoum and the western region of Darfur, where it has been accused of committing atrocities against civilians.
On Thursday, IGAD held a summit in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to discuss the situation in Sudan and other regional issues, such as the dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia over a port deal. IGAD invited both Gen. Burhan and Gen. Dagalo to the summit, hoping to facilitate a dialogue between them and to urge them to cease hostilities and respect human rights. However, Sudan’s government boycotted the summit, saying that it was offended by IGAD’s invitation to Gen. Dagalo, whom it considers a rebel leader and a war criminal.
IGAD issued a final statement after the summit, in which it reiterated its call for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” in Sudan and expressed its readiness to support a “credible and inclusive political process” that would lead to a democratic transition. It also called on Gen. Burhan and Gen. Dagalo to meet face-to-face within two weeks to resolve their differences and to form a joint military command that would ensure the security and stability of the country.
Sudan’s foreign ministry reacted angrily to IGAD’s statement, saying that it was biased and interfered in Sudan’s internal affairs. It said that it would suspend its participation in IGAD’s activities and review its relations with the bloc. On Saturday, it went a step further and announced that it was suspending its membership of IGAD altogether, according to media reports.
The civil war in Sudan has had a devastating impact on the lives of millions of people, who have been displaced, killed, injured, or subjected to human rights violations. The United Nations estimates that more than seven million people have been forced to flee their homes to safer locations inside and outside Sudan. Hundreds of civilians were airlifted out of Sudan at the onset of the war as fighting reached residential areas. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, an analyst group, puts the death toll at more than 13,000.
Meanwhile, Gen. Dagalo has been trying to gain international recognition and support for his role in Sudan. Since late December, he has visited several African countries, such as Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa, and held meetings with their heads of state. Analysts see this as part of a strategy to seek legitimacy and to counter the pressure from IGAD and other international actors to end the war and to respect human rights.
