Sudan cuts off relations with regional bloc due to invitation extended to paramilitary leader for summit

Following the outbreak of war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the army has experienced territorial losses while paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has been visiting various African capitals.

In a significant development, Daglo received an invitation from IGAD to attend a summit in Uganda on Thursday, which he accepted. However, this decision led the foreign ministry, which is loyal to army chief and Sudan’s de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to announce the suspension of its relationship with the bloc.

The ministry accused IGAD of violating Sudan’s sovereignty and setting a dangerous precedent. Despite repeated attempts by the bloc, the United States, and Saudi Arabia to mediate between the two warring generals, no progress has been made.

The ministry had previously criticized the bloc for legitimizing Daglo’s “militia” by inviting them to a meeting attended by heads of state and government. Burhan has accused the bloc of bias and interference in an internal matter.

While Daglo has been touring African capitals, including IGAD members, analysts suggest that the army chief is becoming increasingly isolated diplomatically as his troops continue to lose ground to the RSF’s advancements. Burhan has expressed anger towards Daglo’s growing diplomatic status and accused African leaders of complicity in atrocities against Sudanese civilians.

Both sides have faced allegations of war crimes, including indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, torture, arbitrary detention of civilians, ethnically-motivated mass killings by the RSF, widespread looting, and the use of rape as a weapon of war.

According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project, the death toll from the war exceeds 13,000 individuals, as per a conservative estimate.

As per the United Nations data, approximately 7.5 million civilians have been displaced due to the conflict, either seeking refuge in other countries or relocating within their own nation.

(AFP)