Sudan rejects deployment of regional peacekeepers

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry has rejected a proposal by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to deploy peacekeepers in the country to stop the nearly three-month-old conflict between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry condemned any attempt to deploy forces in Sudan, warning that it would be considered an act of aggression against the country.

"The (IGAD) Quartet's final statement (at the IGAD summit in Addis Ababa) included a call for a summit meeting of the East African Emergency Forces (EAEF) to consider the possibility of deploying forces to protect civilians and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid. In this regard, the Government of Sudan affirms that humanitarian aid provided by international bodies flows and reaches those in need, and the Government of Sudan remains keen to alleviate the suffering of its people and to overcome all constraints in this respect,” said the ministry.

"The Government of Sudan affirms hereby its refusal to deploy any foreign troops to Sudan and will consider them aggressors," it added.

The statement further condemned speeches by Kenyan President William Ruto and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed at the IGAD summit calling for the deployment of forces and filling the security and leadership gap in Sudan due to the ongoing war.

“The presence of the Sudanese delegation to Addis Ababa before the start of the meeting and its prior contact with the organizer of the meeting confirmed Sudan’s genuine desire to engage in finding solutions to the current crisis, and that what was stated in the Quartet’s final statement regarding the absence of our delegation is sheer inaccurate and unrealistic," the ministry said.

"For the sake of credibility, it was expected that the Quartet’s statement indicates that the non-participation of the delegation of the Government of Sudan is due to its clear objection to President William Ruto's presidency of the Quartet,” it added.