Sudan government declines IGAD invitation to attend summit on Sudan
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The Sudanese presidency on Saturday said the government would not attend a summit convened by the East African Development Authority (IGAD) to end the Sudanese crisis and mend the fences between Somalia and Ethiopia.
“The government of the Sudan is of the view that there is nothing to necessitate holding of a summit to discuss the situation in the Sudan, before the implementation of the outcomes of the previous summit,” the Sudanese presidency said in a terse statement on Saturday.
IGAD had extended invitations to its members for a summit to be convened in Uganda to discuss the Somali-Ethiopia tension and the Sudan crisis.
The US state Department welcomed the convening of the meeting scheduled for 18 January.
“The united states said it welcomes summit scheduled by the East African Development Authority (IGAD) to help mend the fences between Ethiopia and Somalia and to end the current crisis in the Sudan.”
Molly Phee, US Bureau Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, has posted a comment on the African Affairs account, saying her country would like to “welcome IGAD’s Jan 18 summit on tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia and the situation in Sudan”.
She said U.S. supports Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and that it backs the African Union Commissioner, Moussa Faki’s calls for de-escalation and dialogue; plus, ceasefire and resolution of the conflict in Sudan.
But the Sudanese presidency reminded the IGAD chair that the government had been dealing with all the initiatives positively but it (IGAD) had failed to implement the outcomes of the summit held in Djibouti.
That summit, it noted, had called for a meeting between the Sudanese army commander and the paramilitary leader but the latter failed to attend, while at the same time touring African countries in the region.
“We would like to reaffirm that what is happening in the Sudan is a domestic affair, and our response to regional initiatives does not mean relinquishing our sovereign right to resolve Sudanese crisis by Sudanese people.”
-0-PANA MO/RA 13JAN2024
