Sudan’s Return to the African Union and IGAD: Steps Toward Reintegration

Sudan Events – Agencies 

Sudan has expressed its desire to resume its membership activities in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in East Africa after its membership was suspended in January 2024. Earlier, IGAD had called for opening a new chapter with Sudan. Additionally, the Sudanese government, led by Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, is seeking to lift the suspension of its membership in the African Union, which was imposed after what the Union described as a military coup in October 2021, when the army ousted the transitional civilian government.

This development came during an official visit by Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council, Malik Agar, to Djibouti, where he met with President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh and delivered a written message from Burhan regarding bilateral relations. Agar also met with the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.

For his part, Sudanese Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hussein Al-Amin Al-Fadil, confirmed that Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council and Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan renewed Sudan’s desire to resume its activities within IGAD.

During the meeting, Agar congratulated the Djiboutian president on his country’s election as head of the African Union Commission, expressing confidence that the new leadership would correct the course of the commission to effectively address African issues. The two sides discussed the latest military and political developments in Sudan, as well as Sudan’s status within the African Union and IGAD, according to the Sovereign Council’s media reports.

Sudan had suspended its IGAD membership one day after the organization’s summit in January, held in Kampala, Uganda, where the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), participated. His forces have been engaged in a conflict with the Sudanese army since mid-April 2023.

At the time, the Sudanese government protested IGAD’s disregard for Sudan’s official decision to suspend its engagement with the organization and freeze its involvement in any Sudan-related matters. This was in response to IGAD’s invitation to Hemedti and Sudan’s objection to Kenya’s leadership of the high-level committee on the Sudanese war, citing Kenya’s alleged bias toward the RSF. IGAD has called on both warring parties in Sudan to implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and end the conflict.

Sudan has previously accused IGAD of legitimizing the RSF, which the Sudanese army considers a rebel force despite its former affiliation with the army before the war broke out. Sudan also condemned IGAD’s invitation to Hemedti to attend a summit alongside heads of state and government, viewing it as bias and interference in the country’s internal affairs.

According to Sudan’s official news agency (SUNA), the meeting in Djibouti addressed the latest developments in Sudan and mechanisms to restore Sudan’s seat in the African Union, emphasizing that the circumstances surrounding its suspension were different from the current situation. The Chairman of the African Union Commission expressed the commission’s full readiness to discuss Sudan’s reinstatement and its participation in relevant institutions within the African Union.

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in mid-April 2023 following weeks of tension over an internationally backed political process aimed at transferring power to civilians and ending military rule.