Al-Burhan.. Continuous visits and a major African role by IGAD

Since the beginning of November, the flights of the Head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council has not stopped in the African airspace, starting with Kenya, where he met with Kenyan President William Ruto, then “New Rose – Addis Ababa”, and meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and crossing today, Sunday, to Djibouti and Eritrea, and returning on the same day to Port Sudan in preparation for the flight next week to Dubai which will be followed by a visit to New York in response to the invitation by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. What did the globetrotter carry in his suitcase on all these flights?  And what did he come back with?

Djibouti. IGAD leaders are on to meet

 Since the end of the last round of the Jeddah negotiations between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Militia, which adjourned its sessions in the first week of November, international voices have continued to indicate the need of finding an effective African role in the negotiation, as it was not sufficient for the African Union and IGAD to participate with a joint representative in the negotiation, which is the signal that  It was taken up by IGAD, which took the first initiative in June, when it rushed to form a quartet committee headed by Kenya last June to find a political settlement that would end the conflict. Sudan strongly objected to its due to the lack of impartiality of the head of the committee, Kenyan President William Ruto, who returned with understanding of Sudan’s objection after about five months to announce in his meeting with Al-Burhan that it would sponsor it, by informing IGAD of the necessity of holding an urgent summit at the level of heads of state to discuss the Sudan crisis and accelerating the pace of the Jeddah negotiations, which is what Ruto actually did, as soon as Al-Burhan’s plane landed today in the Djibouti capital, and the head of IGAD was holding his meeting with Al-Burhan, and its Ethiopian secretary, Workneh Gebeyehu, in the waiting list.

 Al-Burhan’s visit preceded the scheduled dates for holding the summit in the first week of December by days, and showed the enthusiasm at the level of the Chairman of the session, President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, and IGAD Executive Secretary, of great respect for Sudan’s position this time in a meeting with the Head of the Sovereign Council before holding the summit and listening to Sudan’s point of view and the steps it has taken to resolve the issue.

 The crisis was before officially engaging in the summit sessions, which was the meeting expressed by the IGAD Secretary, who announced today that he met with Al-Burhan and discussed with him the role that IGAD plays, explaining that it was agreed on the need for reaching a sustainable ceasefire aimed at alleviating humanitarian conditions and creating a conducive environment to reach a final political solution to the crisis in Sudan.

 He was succeeded in making the same statement by the President of the session, President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, who expressed his hope for the success of the IGAD summit expected in the first week of next December and to find a solution to the Sudan crisis in a way that achieves security and stability and finds solutions to all the problems of the IGAD countries.

The IGAD President praised the role played by Saudi Arabia in hosting the Jeddah forum, pointing out that it presented solutions at the beginning, expressing his hope that they would be implemented, “We are for stopping the war and fighting and returning normal life to the Sudanese people.” He said enthusiastically.

Afwerki waiting at the airport

Hours after his meeting with the leaders of IGAD in Djibouti, Al-Burhan returned to Sudan, but there was another African leader with whom he held another meeting   in the presidential lounge at his country’s airport.

 The Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki received Burhan on his way back to Sudan at the airport and met with him. It was reported that the meeting of Afwerki with Al-Burhan aimed at presenting his initiative, which he had previously spoken about regarding the crisis, to be demonstrated after the silent leader expressed his anger towards IGAD and the African Union, and described their role as shameful towards Sudan crisis.

 Afwerki met Al-Burhan and bid him farewell at the airport, with a smile on his face that was caught by the photographers implying that a fruitful meeting had taken place.

 Light at the end of the tunnel

 Al-Burhan returned to Sudan, bringing with him hope that there is a major, well-planned African role coming… a role that goes beyond representation only in the negotiations, to be replaced by a complete initiative for a political solution that will be integrated into the Jeddah Platform Initiative.

 Responding to the calls of the international community to the African Union not to be the problem, rather a part of the solution, and the solution will be awaited by everyone on December 1, the date of the extraordinary summit of the IGAD countries. Will IGAD do it?