The Intergovernmental Authority on Development's (IGAD) efforts to end the conflict between Sudan military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his paramilitary rival General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo is hanging in the balance.
IGAD was caught off guard by Sudan's decision to cut ties with the regional body which was accused of siding with the paramilitary wing.
According to reports by international media outlets, Sudan leader General al-Burhan, on Tuesday, accused IGAD of inviting General Dagalo to the upcoming Non-Aligned Movement Summit to be conducted by its members - Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and Sudan.
al-Burhan's administration claimed that his nemesis was invited without its knowledge which it claimed risked the peace and well-being of the warring nation.
Sudan's Foreign Ministry which raised the concern, however, did not indicate whether it was willing to hold talks with IGAD which was accused of bias.
“The invitation of the Igad Secretariat to the leader of the militia to attend the emergency summit of Igad No 42 is flagrant violation of the agreement establishing Igad and all the rules and traditions of the work of international organisations and a gross disregard for the victims of genocide in different parts of the country,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs complained in a statement.
"The ministry does not need to remind that the establishment of an organization of sovereign governments aims to promote regional peace and security and achieve integration among member states, and there is no place in it for criminal groups," the statement added.
IGAD, which will hold the summit in Entebbe, Uganda from January 18, however, invited both parties, with reports indicating that the junta (military wing) declined the invite contrary to the paramilitary side.
Among the key subjects for discussion at the summit were how to restore peace in Sudan and how the war was affecting the IGAD nations.
IGAD has not yet indicated whether it will proceed with the extraordinary summit which was also set to discuss the dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia and the larger humanitarian crisis in the region.
The Tuesday announcement by al-Burhan's administration comes just one week after his rival General Dagalo finished his official Africa tour visiting, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, South Africa, and Rwanda.
In Kenya, he was received at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on January 3 by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki alongside other government officials.
Ruto then played host at the State House appreciating him for his commitment to finding peace with his opponent General Abdel-Fattah Al Burhan, President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan.
Shortly after this visit, Sudan recalled its envoy from Nairobi in protest against the official reception of Dagalo.
"Nairobi has forgotten the terrible violations committed by the rebel forces and the destruction they caused to the country's infrastructure, capabilities, and citizens' property," its Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned Kenya.
Notably, Ruto also hosted General al-Burhan in November 2023 as the two sought to discuss peace efforts in Sudan. The meeting came against the backdrop of IGAD ending Ruto's mission to mediate between the wiring parties in Sudan owing to al-Burhan's protests.
al-Burhan had also accused Ruto of siding with his paramilitary rival General Dagalo.
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