AL-JAZIRAH: Sudan’s government has rejected an invitation to an East African summit and rebuked the UN for engaging with the general of rival paramilitary forces Rapid Support Forces (RSF), western media reported on Sunday.
Nine months following war broke out between the army and the RSF, paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has been visiting African capitals to boost to his diplomatic standing.
Sudan’s transitional sovereign council, led by general Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan said that the events in Sudan are an internal issue.
East African Bloc has repeatedly tried to mediate between Sudan’s warring parties. On the other hand, Dagalo said he had accepted the invitation from the block and would be participating in the summit in Uganda.
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In a statement, Sudan’s ministry of foreign affairs said inviting RSF commander was a “flagrant violation” and also “destroys the trustworthiness of IGAD” as an organization.
General Burhan has also reacted angrily to Dagalo’s increasing diplomatic status, blaming African leaders who hosted him on his recent trip of involvement in atrocities against civilians in Sudan.
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As per media reports, the conflict has killed over 13,000 people while 7.5 million people have fled the fighting. Both parties have been accused of war crimes, including the indiscriminate bombardment of residential regions, torture, and detention of unarmed civilians. The Rapid Support Forces has also specifically been alleged of ethnically-motivated mass killings, widespread looting, and the use of rape as a weapon of conflict.
Acting foreign minister Ali Al-Sadiq told the UN envoy Ramtane Lamamra that they “reject” a recent contact between Dagalo and UN chief Antonio Guterres.
Sadiq stated he informed the UN Ambassador that the UN Secretary General’s phone call on Thursday served to legitimize Daglo. He further said that Daglo has committed violations that have been condemned by several UN institutions and the international community.
