Sudan has suspended its membership in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement on Saturday.
The statement said that the chairperson of the Sovereign Council of Sudan, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, sent a letter to the president of Djibouti and the current chair of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Ismail Omar Guelleh, informing him of Sudan’s decision.
The statement added that the decision was due to IGAD’s disregard for Sudan’s request to stop its involvement and freeze its dealings with it on any issues related to the situation in Sudan. However, IGAD included an item on Sudan in the summit of the 42 extraordinary heads of state and government, which was held last Thursday in Kampala, Uganda, and which Sudan boycotted. The statement said that IGAD’s final statement contained phrases that violated Sudan’s sovereignty and offended the victims of crimes committed by the rebel Rapid Support forces and their families.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry emphasized that the letter made it clear that the government of Sudan is not bound by and does not recognize anything that is issued on the Sudanese issue by IGAD.
