Sudan's foreign ministry rejects deployment of peacekeeping forces as conflict deepens

Sudan's foreign ministry on Tuesday rejected a regional summit's proposal to consider the deployment of peacekeeping forces to protect civilians, amid early hopes the meeting may help efforts to end the three-month-old war.

Clashes between the army and the militia's Rapid Support Forces have killed more than 1,000 civilians and displaced 2.9 million people since April 15, according to the United Nations.

Neither side has reached a clear outcome, and many properties have been abandoned or destroyed, while mediation efforts have so far failed.

In the meeting, which was held by the East African regional body IGAD and with the presence of the heads of states as well as representatives of several countries and other institutions, it was suggested to consider the deployment of peacekeeping forces in the region and greater participation of civilians in the talks.

It was the first such meeting in weeks after a separate round of talks in Jeddah was suspended by the United States and Saudi Arabia after multiple ceasefire violations.

Meanwhile, Sudan's army has refused to take part in the mediation effort of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), accusing Kenya, which headed the effort, of keeping the Rapid Support Forces side.

Sudan army refuses to attend peace talks in Ethiopia, as fighting rages on

Sudan

The East African bloc had invited both the Sudanese army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to its meeting in Ethiopia's capital on Monday.

"The disrespect of IGAD towards the opinions of its member states will cause the Sudanese government to re-think the utility of its membership in the organization," the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

"The Sudanese government rejects the deployment of foreign forces in Sudan and will consider them enemy forces," it added.

The fighting in Sudan began in mid-April over a power struggle between army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the RSF.

Neither Burhan nor Dagalo personally attended the talks in Addis Ababa, but the RSF sent a representative to the quartet meeting, which was attended by Kenya, South Sudan, Djibouti, and Ethiopia.

Sudanese forces clash in Khartoum after ceasefire talks break down

Sudan

The meeting came a day after United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that Sudan is on the brink of a full-fledged civil war, which may spill over into neighboring countries and threaten the stability of the entire region.

Guterres "remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilizing the entire region," the UN chief’s spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said in a statement.

The International Organization for Migration says almost 700,000 Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries, especially Chad and Egypt, due to the armed conflict.

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