While the Council rejected the invitation, considering that “there is no need to hold the summit before implementing the outcomes of the previous summit,” which was held in Djibouti, the Rapid Support Forces welcomed it.
The Council announced in a statement the position of the Government of Sudan on the following points:
- We continued to deal positively with all initiatives, especially IGAD’s efforts to reach peace in Sudan, but the body did not commit to implementing the outcomes of the recent summit in Djibouti in the meeting with Council President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).
- The Commission did not provide a convincing justification for canceling the meeting it called for last December 28, under the pretext that the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces was unable to attend for technical reasons, while he was touring a number of IGAD countries on the same date.
- The Government of Sudan believes that there is no need to hold a summit to discuss Sudan before implementing the outcomes of the previous summit.
- We reiterate our affirmation that what is going on in Sudan is an internal matter, and that our response to regional initiatives does not mean giving up our sovereign right to solve the Sudanese problem by the Sudanese.
Hemedti replied
On the other hand, Hemedti welcomed IGAD’s call, explaining in a post on the “X” platform, previously “Twitter”:
- I received an invitation from the IGAD Secretariat to attend and participate in the special session.
- In line with our firm position in support of a comprehensive peaceful solution, which ends once and for all the wars in Sudan in general, and the April 15 war in particular, today (Saturday) I confirmed my acceptance of the invitation to attend and participate in the session.
- We in the Rapid Support Forces renew our commitment to putting an end to the suffering of the Sudanese resulting from this war and other wars, which have been going on for years on the outskirts of Sudan, so that all Sudanese can enjoy truly lasting peace, security, stability, development, justice, freedom and democracy, and to contribute to preserving and maintaining security and peace in the region and the world.
Last December, an emergency summit of IGAD heads of state was held in Djibouti, with broad international participation, to discuss a way out of the ongoing war crisis in Sudan since mid-April between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
Al-Burhan and Hemedti were supposed to meet in Djibouti after the summit, but the latter “was unable to attend for technical reasons,” the Rapid Support Forces announced at the time.
Instead of meeting with Al-Burhan, Hemedti posted on the “X” platform photos of his visit to a number of African countries, including Ethiopia and Uganda.
Khartoum and its neighboring cities have witnessed violent fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces since mid-April, in a war that led to the displacement of millions inside and outside Sudan.
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2024-01-13 12:03:17
