A coalition for East Africa called on Monday for a regional summit to discuss deploying forces in Sudan to protect civilians after nearly three months of violence between the army and Rapid Support Forces. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), composed of eight countries in the Horn of Africa and surrounding areas, met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to launch a peace process to resolve the conflict in Sudan. However, the initiative faced a setback as a delegation from the Sudanese army did not attend the first day of the meetings, having rejected the Kenyan president's chairmanship of the committee facilitating the talks.
IGAD stated in a communiqué that it agreed to a request to convene a summit for another regional body, the East African Standby Force, comprising 10 members "to consider the possible deployment of an East African force to protect civilians and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid." Sudan is a member of both bodies, along with Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda.
Diplomatic efforts have thus far failed to halt the fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, and competing initiatives have caused confusion in pushing both sides toward negotiations. IGAD expressed regret over the absence of the Sudanese army delegation, noting that it had confirmed its attendance earlier.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry, under army control, stated that its delegation did not attend because IGAD ignored its request to replace Kenyan President William Ruto as chair of the committee leading the talks. The ministry indicated in a statement published by the official Sudanese News Agency that one of the reasons for the delegation's absence was "President Ruto's lack of neutrality in the ongoing crisis." It accused Kenya last month of harboring Rapid Support Forces.
Neither Ruto's office nor the Kenyan Foreign Ministry immediately responded when Reuters sought comment. The Kenyan government stated last month that the president was a neutral party appointed by the IGAD summit. Following the meeting, Ruto called for an unconditional ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian zone with a 30-kilometer radius in Khartoum to help facilitate humanitarian aid delivery.
Unlike the talks in Jeddah, the meeting in Addis Ababa included members from a civilian coalition that shared power with the army in Sudan before the 2021 coup. IGAD announced that it would immediately initiate a "civilian engagement process" in partnership with the African Union aimed at achieving peace.
