The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), on Thursday, called upon the conflicting parties in Sudan to engage in direct talks within the next two weeks and to commit to dialogue and negotiations, emphasizing the importance of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
This announcement was made in a statement released after the 42nd extraordinary summit of IGAD heads of state and government, held in the Ugandan city of Entebbe.
The summit aimed to address the Sudanese crisis and the conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia, following the latter’s agreement with the separatist region of “Somaliland,” which provides Ethiopia with a maritime outlet.
The session was chaired by Djibouti’s President, and the current IGAD chair, Ismail Omar Guelleh, and was attended by the Presidents of Kenya, William Ruto; Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud; South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit; and Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, as stated in the statement.
The statement expressed concern about the “ongoing fighting in Sudan and the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation resulting from the war.” It called on the parties (the Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces) “to a direct meeting within two weeks,” without specifying the location.
Furthermore, the statement urged the parties “to commit to dialogue and negotiations, and to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as well as to cease hostilities to end this war, paving the way for political dialogue.”
IGAD expressed its “continued readiness to offer its efforts to facilitate a comprehensive peace process to end the conflict” in Sudan.
