Leaders of East African bloc hold summit on Sudan crisis

Leaders of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) gathered Saturday in Djibouti to discuss the Sudan conflict that has been raging since April 15, Anadolu Agency reports.

“The violence threatens the country’s existence and regional stability. Today’s summit is a beacon of hope. Sudan needs peace”, Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, who is also chairman of the Eastern Africa bloc, said in a statement after the summit.

He demanded an immediate cease-fire in Sudan.

“The Assembly effectively secured a commitment from the Sudanese belligerents to promptly convene & agree upon a cessation of hostilities—a crucial step in addressing the aspirations of the Sudanese people!” IGAD Secretary General Workneh Gebeyehu wrote on X.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Addis Ababa remains committed to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The summit also focused on broader issues on regional peace and security initiatives, according to the Somali presidency.

Sudanese Sovereignty Council President Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Somali President Hasan Sheikh Mahmud, Kenyan President William Ruto, Gebeyehu and African Union Commission President Musa Faki as well as representatives of the US, UN and EU attended the summit. For eight months, fighting has spread from Khartoum to several states across the country.

At least 12,260 victims have been killed and more than 33,000 injured in the conflict.

A humanitarian crisis continues to worsen as nearly 6.8 million people have fled their homes seeking safety in Sudan or neighbouring countries.

Sudan has been mired by fighting between the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the ruling Sovereign Council, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi and US mediators have failed to end the violence.

READ: Humanitarian crisis in Sudan ‘worsening’ as it faces ‘world’s largest displacement crisis’: WHO