IGAD Summit In Entebbe Calls Al-Burhan And Paramilitary Chief To Meet Within 14 Days

At an IGAD summit in Entebe, the general Al-Burhan, the head of the army, and the patron of the paramilitaries were called to meet within 14 days, as the war in Sudan has been ongoing for 9 months with combats between the army and paramilitaries.

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The pressafrik report says Khartoum viewed the invitation as a violation of its sovereignty and took its distance from the regional bloc for having invited the paramilitary chief to the summit.

Africa Intelligence

The same IGAD agenda also included a convocation within a month for a process controlled and led by Sudanese to set up a democratic government in Sudan, according to pressafrik.

Africa Intelligence adds that Port Sudan was courting European diplomatic missions to return to the recaptured city of Khartoum, while embassies continue to operate from neighbouring capitals.

Africa Intelligence also says the Kenyan authorities want to avoid any American sanctions as Washington plans a tougher stance against Sudanese paramilitaries and their allies.

Ahead of Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue talks in Addis Ababa, divisions emerged within Sudan’s Democratic Bloc, with the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW) announcing its participation while 14 political groups and leaders said they would boycott the meetings.

Dabanga Radio TV Online reports that the boycotting groups criticised the procedural arrangements and accused the quintet mechanism—UN, EU, AU, IGAD and Arab League—of determining the agenda and participants without sufficient consultation with Sudanese stakeholders.

Dabanga Radio TV Online

The boycotting faction also rejected the participation of the Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasees), arguing that its inclusion blurred the line between political and security tracks and undermined Sudan’s sovereignty.

Dabanga Radio TV Online says another faction of the Democratic Bloc, including groups led by Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minawi and senior Forces for Freedom and Change–Democratic Bloc (FFC-DB) figures Mubarak Ardol and El Amin Daoud, travelled to Addis Ababa and insisted it represented the bloc’s legitimate position.

At a press conference, FFC-DB deputy chairman Ardol reaffirmed support for a political solution but ruled out engagement with the Tasees alliance, saying, “We refuse to sit with the Tasees alliance,” and describing it as a military rather than civilian grouping.

The Addis Ababa talks are framed by Dabanga Radio TV Online as part of renewed international efforts to revive a Sudanese-led political process, but the report stresses that divisions among Sudan’s political and armed groups continue to complicate consensus-building on the country’s future.

“Les autorités somaliennes ont dénoncé début janvier, l’accord entre le Somaliland et l’Ethiopie pour un accès d’Addis-Abeba à la mer Rouge qu’elles considèrent comme une ‘’ agression”

pressafrik

Dabanga Radio TV Online says the participating faction warned against any arrangement that could threaten Sudan’s territorial integrity, with Sally Zaki calling for Sudanese-led dialogue inside Sudan and warning against any threat to territorial integrity.

It also reports that the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW) sent a high-level delegation to Addis Ababa in response to an invitation from the quintet, linking participation to ending the war and addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Africa Intelligence, meanwhile, describes international stakeholders gathering in Cairo earlier this month to lay the groundwork for upcoming talks between Sudan's civilian groups, while mediators still face numerous obstacles.

Africa Intelligence adds that chancelleries have tasked groups of experts with uncovering how certain economic sectors are working in favour of the belligerents, with conclusions that could serve as a basis for future sanctions.