The Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD) announced on Wednesday the postponement of the anticipated meeting between Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemeti.”
The delay in the meeting comes amid conflicting statements regarding Hemeti’s attendance. Sources within the IGAD summit stated that the meeting between Burhan and Hemeti has been rescheduled to January.
Earlier, the official spokesperson for the Rapid Support Forces, Fatah Qarshi, had stated that the organization had received an official invitation, confirming their commitment to IGAD’s proposed dates. He also denied all media reports suggesting that Hemeti would not attend the meeting with Burhan.
Previously, a spokesperson for IGAD, in charge of coordinating a meeting between General Burhan and General Hemeti, stated to Sputnik that “the President of the international governmental organization IGAD and the Secretary-General of the organization are working on bringing Generals Burhan and Hemeti to the negotiation table.”
He emphasized that “the date and location of the meeting have not been agreed upon yet” and noted that “the organization will announce developments as soon as accurate information becomes available.”
Last week, Ibrahim Mokheir, an advisor to the leader of the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, stated that there is a condition for holding a meeting between the Rapid Support Forces and Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
He was quoted by the Arab World Agency as saying, “The Rapid Support Forces require that Burhan attend the meeting as the army’s chief, not as the head of the Sovereign Council or as a representative of the Sudanese people.”
The capital city of Khartoum and surrounding areas have witnessed intense fighting between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces since mid-April, resulting from political and security disputes.
This conflict has led to the displacement of over five million Sudanese people within and outside the country, in addition to the death of more than 5,000 civilians. It has necessitated the intervention of local and international humanitarian organizations to id those affected.
