PORT SUDAN: Khartoum threatened on Thursday that it would reconsider the feasibility of continuing with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD) if the organization did not respond to its request to change the chairmanship of its Quartet on Sudan.
This came in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, following the meeting of the heads of state and government of the “IGAD” Quartet on Sudan, chaired by Kenya, in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Wednesday.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the Government of Sudan’s rejection of Kenya’s chairmanship of the IGAD Quartet, for siding with the rebel militia (referring to the Rapid Support Forces), and hosting its leadership, which is being pursued by international sanctions,” the statement said.
“If IGAD does not respond to the request to change the chairmanship of the committee, the government of Sudan will reconsider the viability of continuing in the organization.”
The Foreign Ministry criticized the statement of the IGAD Quartet issued after the Nairobi meeting, explaining that it “did not contain any reference to the government of Sudan and the need to consult with it, and obtain its approval in the steps that IGAD intends to take regarding the crisis in our country.”
It considered the statement “a clear and unacceptable derogation from the sovereignty of Sudan.”
On Thursday, IGAD expressed “concern that the situation in Sudan will not improve, as the fighting spreads to remote areas.”
In a statement, stressed the commitment of the Quartet countries to hold a direct meeting between the warring parties in Sudan, and to unify all peace initiatives for this country, within a framework that comprehensively addresses the conflict.
Khartoum has repeatedly announced its rejection of Kenya’s chairmanship of the IGAD committee on ending the fighting and addressing the crisis in Sudan.
The Quartet was formed last June during the IGAD 14 summit and discussed the crisis in Sudan, announcing its formation under the chairmanship of Kenya and South Sudan, and the membership of Ethiopia and Somalia.
IGAD is an African sub-regional governmental organization, founded in 1996, headquartered in Djibouti, that includes Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan.
Since mid-April, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been engaged in clashes that a series of truces have failed to stop, leaving more than 3,000 people dead, most of them civilians, and more than 5 million displaced and refugees inside and outside the country, according to the United Nations.
(Anatolia)
