Sudan Rejects IGAD summit statement over alleged inconsistencies and misinformation
December 10, 2023 (PORT SUDAN) – The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially rejected the final statement of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) extraordinary summit on Sudan, citing inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the document.
The summit, held on Saturday in Djibouti to address the ongoing political crisis in Sudan, concluded with a statement that outlined a path towards peace, including the appointment of a special envoy and the establishment of a humanitarian truce.
However, the Sudanese government on Sunday expressed concerns about the accuracy of the statement, particularly regarding the participation of the UAE Foreign Minister and the presence of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) delegation.
In a strongly-worded statement, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry outlined its objections to the summit statement, including The inclusion of inaccurate information regarding the attendance of the UAE Foreign Minister; The assertion that the IGAD heads had met with an RSF delegation; The claim that the Transitional Sovereign Council President had approved a meeting with the RSF leader; and The omission of the Egypt-led initiative proposed by Sudan’s neighbouring countries to resolve the crisis.
Regarding the Burhan-Hamdok meeting, the foreign ministry clarified that such a meeting would only be possible upon the fulfilment of certain conditions, including a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of rebel forces from the capital.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry stressed that these inconsistencies “render the summit statement unacceptable and void of legal standing”.
It is worth mentioning that the Sudanese government received the draft statement from the IGAD Secretariat on Sunday morning instead of Saturday. Then the final version was released in the afternoon.
The RSF, for its part, issued a statement, on the other hand, expressing support for the summit’s outcomes and applauded the international efforts to unify initiatives towards a political solution. The delegation indicated that they had held a separate meeting with IGAD leaders and presented their vision for ending the conflict and achieving a comprehensive peace agreement.
Concerning the head-to-head meeting between al-Burhan and Hemetti, the RSF underscored that Hemetti provided preliminary approval, specifying that al-Burhan should attend the proposed meeting in his capacity as the army commander rather than as the president of the Sovereign Council.
Leaders of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), a coalition of pro-democracy political groups, condemned the Sudanese Foreign Ministry’s statement, accusing the ministry of being controlled by Islamists who seek to undermine peace efforts.
FFC spokesperson Jaafar Hassan alleged that the Islamists now seek to escalate the conflict and oppose regional efforts aimed at ending it after their success in ending the United Nations mission in Sudan.
Yasir Arman, a prominent figure within the FFC, echoed Hassan’s sentiments, stating that the Islamists were trying to delegitimize the armed forces and seize control of the country. “They are trying to sabotage the efforts of the IGAD countries to bring peace to Sudan, just as they worked to sabotage the Jeddah process.”
The Jeddah process, a Saudi-US-IGAD-brokered initiative aimed at resolving the Sudanese crisis, collapsed last month due to disagreements between the army and the RSF over the withdrawal of RSF elements from Khartoum and Urban areas.
(ST)