Burahn, Museveni agree to hold IGAD meeting soon

March 18, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Head of the Sovereign Council in Sudan and the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni agreed to hold a meeting for the IGAD leaders in the near future.

On Thursday al-Burhan was on a one-day visit to Entebbe where he met with President Museveni to discuss bilateral relations’ and briefed him on the political developments after his coup d’etat of October 2021.

A joint communiqué, issued at the end of the visit, announced the meeting of the IGAD leaders in the coming days without further details.

“The two leaders also discussed the IGAD issues and agreed to enhance communications and cooperation between the IGAD Chair and member states to hold the next summit in the very near future”.

Last February, the IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu decided to convene à meeting in Entebbe for the heads of state and government of the East African bloc.

But the military-led government in Khartoum rejected the invitation and announced that they would not participate in that meeting.

The foreign ministry stressed that the invitation for this meeting must emanate from Sudan which is the chair of the IGAD and not be decided by the executive secretary.

Gebeyehu at the time said he consulted President Museveni and he accepted to hot the meeting.

The IGAD leaders elected Sudan as the chairman of the regional body in support of the democratic transition in the country.

Initially, the IGAD meeting should discuss a proposal for an IGAD mediation to settle the Sudanese crisis, in addition to the situation in Ethiopia and Somalia.

Al-Burhan’s coup triggered the suspension of Sudan membership in the African Union.

(ST)