Somalia among IGAD quartet to directly engage feuding Sudan generals

GOOBJOOG NEWS|DJIBOUTI: A quartet of Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia will be meeting directly with the Sudan army commander General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his arch-rival Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in the next ten days to resolve the deadly conflict on behalf of the regional body IGAD.

Presenting the IGAd position following a meeting in Djibouti, Kenya’s President William Ruto announced that the eight-member bloc had resolved to take urgent and bold measures to resolve the war in Sudan.

“We have taken the decision that the quartet of Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Somalia will in the next ten days meet face to face with General Burhan and Generral Dagallo in a face-to-face engagement so that we can speak to them directly on behalf of IGAD,” President Ruto said.

He noted that the four countries will be seeking a commitment from the feuding generals to stop the war in Sudan and also secure access to humanitarian support. “We have also agreed that in the next two weeks, we will discuss with the generals on providing a humanitarian corridor sot that humanitarian support can be made available to those in need.”

He added that the process of an inclusive national dialogue will begin in the next three weeks.

Earlier, African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki called on IGAD and AU to work together to resolve the crisis in Sudan.

“I therefore, call for total unity between the Regional and Continental Organisations, IGAD and AU. This is the sine qua non condition for the effectiveness of our solidarity with Sudan. It is the  imperative for mitigating foreign interference,” Faki said.