Sudan declines Kenya’s chairmanship of IGAD quartet
June 15, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government formally declined Kenya’s leadership of the IGAD Quartet tasked with the mediation of the armed conflict in the country.,accusing the East African nation of lacking neutrality.
In a meeting on June 12, the IGAD heads of state and government decided to include Ethiopia as the fourth member of the IGAD High-Level Delegation for the Peace Process in Sudan. Also, they picked Kenyan President William Ruto to Chair the quartet, composed of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan.
Malik Agar, the deputy head of the Sovereign Council who headed the Sudanese delegation to the meeting on June 13, stated that this matter was not discussed during the meeting and requested to keep President Salva Kiir as the chairman of the IGAD mechanism.
The military-led Sovereign Council on Thursday stated that Abdel Fattah al-Burhan spoke with Djibouti’s President and IGAD Chair, Ismail Omar Guelleh, to inform him of the “Sudan’s rejection of Kenya’s chairmanship of the IGAD Quartet on Sudan”.
” Kenya is not neutral and is home to RSF rebel leaders,” stressed the statement
The accusation of harbouring the Rapid Support Forces was repeated in a separate statement by the Sudanese foreign ministry on Thursday.
“Statements by senior Kenyan officials and the behaviour of their government have confirmed their adoption of positions held by the rebel RSF militia. They provide shelter and various kinds of support to its members,” stated the release.
Al-Burhan and the foreign ministry, however, reiterated Sudan’s support for the IAGD efforts to settle the crisis.
The IGAD Quartet leaders are expected to hold a meeting with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemetti, within ten days of their initial meeting.
Their objectives include establishing a secure humanitarian corridor to deliver aid to war-affected areas in Khartoum and Darfur and initiating an inclusive political process to resolve the armed conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF.
(ST)