Sudan Suspends Igad Membership Amid Summit Dispute

Sudan has decided to suspend its membership in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) following a disagreement over the organization’s mediation efforts in the ongoing nine-month conflict within the country. The move comes as a response to Igad’s attempt to broker peace between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a rival paramilitary group.

The rift intensified when Igad extended an invitation to the RSF’s chief, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, for a summit held on Thursday in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.

Sudan’s government expressed strong criticism, deeming Igad’s decision to include Gen Dagalo as offensive.

The foreign ministry, aligned with the head of the army, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accused Igad of releasing a statement detrimental to Sudan’s interests.

Founded in 1996, Igad consists of eight states, including Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia.

The organization aims to transform north-east Africa into an upper middle-income economy and a beacon of regional peace, stability, and security by 2050.

Igad played a role in the 2005 peace process that concluded a 22-year war in Sudan and oversaw the establishment of a transitional government in 2004 during the Somali civil war