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The Sudanese government has announced its decision to resume participation in the East African regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), two years after suspending its membership.
Sudan will “resume its full activity in the membership” within the Djibouti-based organisation, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.
In January 2024, Sudan suspended its membership after IGAD invited Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the rival paramilitary organisation, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to a summit in Uganda to discuss the ongoing conflict.
The RSF has been engaged in a war with Sudan’s army since April 2023, a conflict that international organisations say has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displaced millions of people, and triggered a major humanitarian crisis.
According to the foreign ministry, Sudan made its decision after receiving assurances from IGAD, which included a promise of “non-interference in member states’ internal affairs” and a reaffirmation of Sudan’s “full recognition of Sudan’s sovereignty and the unity of its lands and people.”
Sudan’s return to the bloc comes after a meeting in January between IGAD’s executive secretary, Workneh Gebeyehu, and Sudan’s Prime Minister, Kamil Idris.
After the meeting, IGAD issued a statement condemning all violations committed by the RSF and “reaffirms its full support for the unity and sovereignty of the Republic of the Sudan, as well as its existing national institutions”.
The conflict has effectively divided Sudan, with the army controlling parts of the north, east, and centre, while the RSF controls areas in the west and parts of the south.
The RSF has also announced a parallel administration in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, which has not been internationally recognised.
IGAD welcomed Sudan’s return on Monday, describing the move as “a reaffirmation of regional solidarity and collective commitment to peace, stability, and cooperation across the region”.
