Sudan Government rejects east African mediation move

Sudan’s army-aligned government spurned an invitation to an east African summit and rebuked the United Nations for engaging with the commander of rival paramilitary forces.

Sudan's army-aligned government on January 13 spurned an invitation to an east African summit and rebuked the United Nations for engaging with the commander of rival paramilitary forces.

Nine months after war broke out between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the army has been losing territory while paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has been touring African capitals in a boost to his diplomatic standing.

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Rejecting the invitation from east African bloc IGAD to a summit in Uganda on January 18 also to be attended by Mr. Daglo, Sudan's transitional sovereign council, headed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, insisted: "The events in Sudan are an internal matter."

The bloc has repeatedly attempted to mediate between Sudan's warring generals, but its efforts have been cold-shouldered by Mr. Burhan's government.

In contrast, Mr. Daglo, fresh from a tour of six African capitals, said on X, formerly Twitter, that he had accepted the invitation from IGAD and would be attending the summit in Uganda.

Sudan's foreign ministry said inviting Mr. Daglo was a "flagrant violation" and "destroys the credibility of IGAD" as an institution.