Al-Burhan translates his political failure by firing at regional peace initiatives
The army commander complains to the Security Council about "countries supporting Hemeti" and informs "IGAD" of Sudan's freezing of membership and non-recognition of its recent decisions
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs complained to the Security Council about the regional movements for a solution in Sudan, considering them to “nourish the continuation of the war by supplying the Rapid Support Forces with weapons, political support, and media support.” This comes after the official announcement of the complete freezing of Sudan’s membership in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the disregard of its recent decisions. This step does not deviate from the policy of evasion in transparent maneuvers to undermine peace efforts.
The commander of the Sudanese army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, follows the same approach of rejecting all local, regional, and international initiatives and mediations to end the war, as happened with the Jeddah platform, the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Tajamu), and finally IGAD, because they do not achieve the personal political gains he aspires to.
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is considered Al-Burhan‘s spokesperson, stated in a Saturday statement, “President of the Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan sent a letter to the President of Djibouti, the current head of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Ismail Omar Guelleh, informing him of the Sudanese government’s decision to freeze its membership in the organization.”
This unprecedented move confirms Al-Burhan‘s political failure and his inability to keep up with effective diplomatic movements by the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemeti,” who succeeded in convincing IGAD to present his vision for ending the war.
Hemeti, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, has recently been active in his diplomatic moves in neighboring countries, expressing explicit readiness to meet with Al-Burhan and discuss ways to bring peace to the Sudanese people. This comes at a time when he is making military progress, making Al-Burhan feel that he is losing the political battle in addition to the military one, so he decided to obstruct any attempt for peace under the current circumstances.
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “IGAD ignored Sudan’s decision, which was officially conveyed to it to suspend its engagement and freeze its dealing with it on any issues related to the current situation in Sudan.” It added, “Nevertheless, a clause on Sudan was included in the final communique of the 42nd extraordinary summit of heads of state and government, which was held last Thursday, and Sudan boycotted it.”
A diplomatic source said that the freezing decision means that Sudan does not recognize all the decisions issued by the organization regarding the Sudanese affairs or the invitations and participation in various activities. He pointed out the lack of commitment by the head of the Sovereignty Council to any proposal presented by the organization during the recent summit, including holding a meeting with the Rapid Support Forces leader.
Last Thursday, IGAD held an extraordinary summit that discussed relations between Ethiopia and Somalia, and the situation in Sudan. The final statement indicated that the leaders issued a second invitation to the leaders of the army and the Rapid Support Forces to meet face-to-face within 14 days.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued its attack on IGAD, stating that the final statement carried phrases that violate Sudan’s sovereignty and provoke the feelings of the victims of the atrocities committed by the rebel militia and their families, according to the statement’s wording.
Al-Burhan boycotted the participation in the 42nd summit of the organization, which witnessed the participation of the heads of state of the member states and the leader of the Rapid Support Forces. He affirmed in a speech that the Sudanese government is “not bound by and does not care about everything issued by IGAD in the Sudanese matter.”
About two weeks ago, he also rejected an agreement signed between the quasi-military Rapid Support Forces and political groups, pledging to continue the ongoing war for nine months. This was in a speech he delivered to the armed forces.
This came after the Rapid Support Forces issued a statement, confirming its signing of an agreement with the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Tajamu), stating that it is “open to an immediate, unconditional ceasefire through negotiations with the army.”
Hemeti, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, also stated that the army was invited to sign the same declaration, adding that the document lays the foundation for peace negotiations to end a war that has been raging for more than nine months.
The armed forces did not respond to the invitation made by the head of the Forces for Freedom and Change alliance, Abdallah Hamdok, to hold a meeting between Al-Burhan and Hemeti.
The war broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in mid-April, amid tension due to the transition from military rule to civilian rule. The two parties are involved in what preceded the authority after the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 during a popular uprising.
The war has left more than 12,000 dead and more than 7 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations.
