The United Nations envoy to Sudan, Volker Peretz, declared on Wednesday that the so-called current government in Sudan has lost control over the country and the trust of regional nations.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Peretz noted that the recent meeting of IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) marked progress in terms of attendance level, with subsequent meetings to follow. The closing statement regretted the absence of the army, not the government, he stated.
The Sudanese government had previously announced its refusal to allow foreign forces into the country, dealing with them as if they were invading forces. This came in a statement issued by the Sudanese government on Tuesday about the meeting of the quadripartite committee, a subsidiary of IGAD, regarding the Sudanese crisis, as reported by the Sudan News Agency (SUNA).
The statement noted that the Sudanese delegation arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before the start of the quadripartite committee meeting and communicated with the organizing party, implying a sincere desire to find a solution.
The statement also challenged the accuracy of the quadripartite committee’s statement about the absence of the Sudanese delegation, explaining that the non-attendance was due to Sudan’s objection to William Ruto, President of Kenya, presiding over the quadripartite committee.
On the previous Monday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called for “immediate action in Sudan, including imposing a no-fly zone and removing heavy artillery.”
Al Jazeera reported that Abiy Ahmed stated the IGAD summit is calling for “immediate actions in Sudan, including imposing a no-fly zone and the removal of heavy artillery.” He affirmed that Sudan is suffering from a leadership vacuum and stressed the necessity of not standing idle, as the consequences could be severe for Sudan and the region.
Ahmed hosted a meeting of the heads of state and governments of the IGAD quadripartite committee in Addis Ababa to discuss solutions for the Sudanese crisis. It’s noteworthy that a quadripartite committee was formed at the IGAD summit in Djibouti on June 12, with Kenya as chair and members from South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia, to find a solution to the Sudanese crisis.
Since April 15, widespread violent clashes have been ongoing between the Sudanese army and rapid support forces in various parts of Sudan, primarily in the capital Khartoum, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties.
