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The Sudanese government, amidst the war, has officially notified IGAD of the suspension of its membership in the East Africa bloc, as announced by the foreign ministry aligned with army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Saturday.
Amid the ongoing crisis in war-torn Sudan, the government, led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has declared the suspension of its membership in the IGAD East Africa bloc. The decision comes as a response to the bloc’s invitation to paramilitary chief Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who has been in conflict with Burhan for nine months, to a summit in Uganda addressing the Sudanese conflict. Earlier in the week, Sudan had already announced the freezing of relations with IGAD due to this development.
Sudan is currently grappling with one of the world’s rapidly unfolding crises, with over 7.4 million people displaced and more than half of the population requiring humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project estimates the death toll at over 13,000.
In response to the situation, IGAD, at its recent summit, reiterated the call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the “unjust war affecting the people” of Sudan. The bloc expressed its continued readiness to facilitate an all-inclusive peace process and urged for a face-to-face meeting between the conflicting parties. The suspension of Sudan’s membership adds a new layer of complexity to the efforts toward peace and stability in the region.
