IGAD’s Impartiality Is Under Scrutiny 3/3
By Dr. Ahmed A. Bagi (PhD)
IGAD and the Recent War in Sudan
When war broke out in Sudan on 15.4.2023, the Executive Secretary of IGAD issued a statement saying that it was extremely alarmed by reports of fighting in different parts of Khartoum between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and is following the situation closely. In addition, it urged both sides to immediately cease fighting, de-escalate the situation, and resolve their differences through dialogue. IGAD failed in its statement to recognize that the Sudan national forces have the constitutional right to protect its military bases, civilian objects, and its citizens against the mutinous RSF attacks. Further, such sovereign right is enshrined in UN Article 51, which provides the State’s “inherent right” to self-defense. However, IGAD failed to understand.
After three months of war, IGAD formed a Quartet Group of Countries (QGC) that subsumes Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan to look for a solution to the Situation in Sudan. Since then, IGAD has held four meetings as follows:
On July 10, 2024, the QGC had its first meeting in Kenya and issued a Communiqué (viz., the communique-of-the-1st-meeting-of-the-igad-quartet-group-of-countries @ https://igad.int). But Sudan was absent from this meeting as it was not consulted on the matter, and it is a blatant violation of its sovereignty when the communiqué called for the East Africa Standby Force (EASF) summit to convene to consider the possible deployment of the EASF for the protection of civilians and guarantee humanitarian access. Sudan also opposed that William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, is impartial due to his close association with Hemedti, the RSF’s bloody and mutinous leader, and their alleged business dealings.
On September 6, 2023, IGAD QGC held a meeting on Sudan on the margins of the 2023 Africa Climate Summit in (Nairobi, Kenya) where QGC discussed the first meeting follow-up and announced that it was invited to participate in the Jeddah forum (viz., https://igad.int/communique-of-the-2nd-meeting-of-the-igad-quartet-group-of countries-for-the-resolution-of-the-situation-in-the-republic-of-sudan). The QGC called upon the international actors to support a single, all-inclusive IGAD-AU-led platform. Such a position is a clear intervention in Sudan’s internal affairs and shows IGAD’s impartiality as the RSF refused to abide by the Jeddah form stipulations and IGAD is looking for a new forum to rescue RSF that reneged in its commitments.
The 41st Extraordinary Assembly of the IGAD Heads of State and Government convened on December 9, 2023, in Djibouti to deliberate on the situation in Sudan (viz., https://igad.int/communique-of-the-41st-extraordinary-assembly-of-igad-heads-of-state-and-government-djibouti-republic-of-djibouti-9th-december-2023/). They issued a communique welcoming the Humanitarian Access Agreement signed severally by the parties to the conflict in Jeddah on November 7, 2024, and the four (4) confidence-building measures agreed between the parties and subsequent steps taken towards implementation. Nevertheless, Sudan participated in this meeting but rejected the communiqué, as it did not contain the points agreed on during the meeting, so it refused to abide by the communique’s outputs.
The 42nd Extraordinary Assembly of the IGAD Heads of State and Government convened on January 18, 2024, in Entebbe, Republic of Uganda, to discuss the situation in Sudan (viz., https://igad.int/communique-of-the-42nd-extraordinary-assembly-of-igad-heads-of-state-and-government). But Sudan boycotted this meeting in protest of the invitation extended to the rebels’ leader Hemedit, as he is not a recognized official of the government of Sudan, and he has no official status to attend the meeting. This is an utter breach of Sudan’s sovereignty, and the Sudanese Foreign Ministry announced that it is suspending its involvement with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) regarding the ongoing crisis in Sudan.
Looking at the IGAD four (4) communiqués, issued during its meeting on the Sudan war, reveals that IGAD shed crocodile tears about the humanitarian situation in Sudan, but failed to condemn, let alone, sensor the crimes of the rebels SFR against the Sudanese people. IGAD undermined Sudan’s sovereignty when its leaders (Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti) welcomed and received the rebels’ leader whose hands were soaked in the blood of the Sudanese people, besides his untrustworthy forces committed crimes against humanity in Darfur, killed, raped and stole and occupied civilian objects. Yet, none of the atrocious crimes wakes up IGAD leaders’ conscience.
IGAD should understand that the people of Sudan are capable of defending their land against any invaders, and they do not need outsiders to meddle in their affairs. Consequently, most of the Sudanese people joined the Peoples’ Resistant Front to defend themselves against the rebels’ heinous crimes and brutalities that IGAD intentionally failed to condemn and censor the RSF perpetrators.
The government of Sudan should unify the negotiation forums of humanitarian and evacuating civilian objects, and stick to the Jeddah Declaration. Sudan should never allow IGAD to distract eyes from unifying the initiatives or allow IGAD or AU to be part of the mechanism to deal with the Sudan war, as Sudan’s previous dealings with them since 1997 show their impartiality and sympathy with the rebels.
