IGAD Brings All Sudan Peace Initiatives Under African Umbrella

Djibouti – Sudan Events Report

IGAD leaders have condemned foreign interventions in Sudan’s conflict, decided to unite all peace initiatives under an African umbrella and said the commander of the Sudanese army will hold a tete-a-tete with the leader of the RSF, soon under an African initiative.

The East African Development block (IGAD) has strongly denounced intervention seeking to fuel the ongoing war in the Sudan, with devastating impact on the Sudanese people.

The IGAD heads of state and government “condemned unwarranted interventions and interferences by external state and non-state actors in the conflict in Sudan” the one-day 41st Extraordinary IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government, stressed its final Communiqué.

The African leaders have further urged those intervening in the war in the Sudan to refrain from providing and re-supplying war assets and materiel to either side of the conflict and “called on the international community to exert maximum pressure on any actor(s) involved in aiding the conflict”. It did not however name those actors.

It commended the Jeddah mediators and their efforts but proposed the formation of one initiative to be led by the IGAD and the African Union to help resolve the Sudanese crisis.

The IGAD leaders welcomed the Humanitarian Access Agreement signed severally by the parties to the conflict in Jeddah on 7th November 2023 and the four (4) confidence building measures agreed between the parties and subsequent steps taken towards implementation, called on the parties to honor their agreement and commitment.

The final communique has appealed to African and international organization to help alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese impacted by the conflict.

The communique said the IGAD has reiterated its call to the parties to the conflict to immediately and unconditionally cease hostilities and allow unimpeded humanitarian access and protection of civilians in the affected areas and communities.

It commended the stands adopted by the president of the Sudanese Sovereign Council General Abdul Fatah al Burhan and the subsequent talks with the leader of the Rapid support forces who agreed both to hold direct one to one talks to be facilitated by African mediator, IGAD and the African union.

It said the RSF leader has in a phone calls accepted proposals of the Assembly for an unconditional ceasefire, resolution of the conflict through political dialogue and the holding of a one-to-one meeting with the Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) with the facilitation of IGAD;

The communique said IGAD leaders have welcomed and appreciated General Burhan, commitment to an unconditional ceasefire and resolution of the conflict through political dialogue and his agreement to the proposal by the Assembly for him to have a one-to-one meeting with the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with the facilitation of IGAD.

The heads of state and government have meanwhile “Urged, IGAD Member States to affirm their pledges for humanitarian support to Sudan and for the International Community to immediately respond and scale up support to alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan”.

The 41st Extraordinary Assembly of the IGAD Heads of State and Government was held on Saturday, 9th December 2023, in Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti, on the situation in Sudan and was chaired by H.E. Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti and the Chairperson of the IGAD Heads of State and Government.

It commended the resolve of the co-facilitators of the Jeddah Talks namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States of America, and IGAD that also represents the African Union (AU), and thanked them for the support extended in preserving the modest progress made so far in the last round of talks, and expressed IGAD’s continued and full support to the process;

But it recommended that all the regional and international efforts be merged in one initiative to be led by IGAD and the African Union.

IGAD, the communique stressed, “acknowledged the other corresponding initiatives geared towards the re-establishment of Peace in the Republic of Sudan, notably the peace initiatives that brings together the neighboring countries of Sudan and advocated for a consolidation and coalescing of efforts under the IGAD- AU led process to chart a unified and coordinated pathway to Peace under the IGAD Roadmap and to further secure the endorsement of the Roadmap by the AU PSC and the UNSC in order to galvanize the Community of Nations in solidarity with the people and Republic of the Sudan”

It added the IGAD leaders, mindful of the fact that there cannot be a military solution to the current crisis in Sudan, and that peaceful and respectful dialogue and discussion are the only way to chart the way forward for a peaceful, stable, united and democratic Sudan, “called for a unified Africa-anchored mediation process that coordinates the various national, regional, continental and international efforts and tracks under the auspices of IGAD and the AU “

The IGAD leaders underlined that they are resolved to redouble efforts and work towards better and closer collaboration and coordination with all stakeholders to mobilize full political and diplomatic support for IGAD and the AU to effectively discharge their critical role in delivering a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict and for IGAD to convene on a quarterly basis to review the state of progress of the peace process in the Sudan.

The African leaders underlined that following peace realization in the Sudan what would be need is a civilian led government that would lead development efforts and prepare for general elections.

The communique stressed that, cognizant of the aspiration of the Sudanese people for democratic governance, the IGAD summit committed to support a civilian-led inclusive political process that will elaborate the nature and structure of the Sudanese society and governance and move the country to a viable, civil democratic rule.

It said the IGAD leaders have “decided to fast-track efforts in organizing an IGAD- AU facilitated all-inclusive Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led civilian dialogue aimed at forging national consensus towards the formation of a civilian-led transition that will culminate in the holding of open, transparent and democratic elections; “

To this end the communique said, the leaders have further decided to establish an IGAD framework comprised of respected diplomatic and political interlocutors, nominated by IGAD Heads of Government to undertake the mediation efforts in Sudan.

It said it tasked the IGAD secretariat to present, within the shortest time possible to the IGAD Council of Ministers a candidate(s) for appointment as the IGAD Special Envoy to Sudan, reporting to the Executive Secretary, shall coordinate and lead IGAD mediation efforts in accordance with the IGAD Roadmap for the Peace Process in Sudan.