Sudan threatens to reconsider its membership of IGAD

KHARTOUM, JULY 11, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – The Sudanese government on Tuesday threatened to withdraw from the regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), over what it said is infringement against its sovereignty by some member states.

In a statement responding to remarks by Kenyan President William Ruto following a meeting of IGAD mediators in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday, the Sudanese foreign ministry said it may “reconsider the feasibility of its membership in the organization.”

“The Government of Sudan condemns and rejects the previous statements of Kenyan President William Ruto which he repeated in the press conference following the Quartet meetings,” the statement seen by Sudans Post reads in part.

It said that the government of Sudan was surprised by remarks of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in which he called for a no-fly zone and removal of heavy guns.

“[The ministry of foreign affairs] also expresses its surprise at the statements of the Ethiopian Prime Minister that there is a vacuum in the leadership of the state, which is interpreted as a lack of recognition of the current leadership of the state,” it said.

It also “denounces his call for the imposition of an air embargo and the disarmament of heavy artillery, contrary to his existing direct positions and understandings with the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”