Khartoum, Jan 31 (Darfur 24) On Wednesday, the Commander of the Military Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, Lieutenant General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti,” called on the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to ignore the decision of the Sudanese Army Commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to withdraw the country from membership in the organization.
Hemedti said in a letter addressed to the leaders of IGAD, which the Rapid Support Forces published on its page on the “X” platform, that “Sudan is still an original member of the African organization, and will remain committed to its founding goals and will continue to actively participate in its programs and activities.”
He explained that “Burhan’s announcement of withdrawal from (IGAD) does not express the legitimate position of the government of Sudan and the will of its people, because such decisions are taken through an organized and consultative method by the various state agencies, including the Council of Ministers and Parliament, and consensus is reached through public participation.” This cannot be done based on the whim of a frustrated coup leader,” according to the text of the letter.
Hemedti noted that Al-Burhan lacks the legitimacy and mandate to speak and act on behalf of the Sudanese people and government, explaining that Sudan is considered a founding member of IGAD, and the fate of its people is closely linked to the fate of other member states of the organization.
He called for not giving any consideration to the letter announcing Sudan’s withdrawal from IGAD, as the situation constitutes a violation of a well-established internal system, and requires dealing with it with a disregard that is completely befitting of this behavior, according to Hemedti’s speech.
On January 20, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Army Commander Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had sent a message to Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guili, head of the current session of IGAD, informing him of the Sudanese government’s decision to freeze its membership in the organization.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the freeze on Sudan’s membership in IGAD came about because “the organization included an item on Sudan in its forty-second extraordinary summit, which was held in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, thus ignoring Sudan’s decision that was conveyed to it earlier to stop its involvement and freeze its dealings with it on any issues.” Concerning the current situation in Sudan.
The Commander of the Rapid Support Forces had participated in the recent IGAD summit, based on an official invitation extended to him, while the Sudanese Army Commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, boycotted it.
Hemedti announced in his speech on Wednesday that he welcomed the outcomes of the summit, stressing his readiness to move forward to participate in the peace process under the auspices of IGAD and the African Union, or within the framework of any other regional or international peace process.