Somalia to mediate Sudan conflict

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Inter-Governmental Authority and Development [IGAD] has selected Somalia as one of the countries which will mediate the Sudanese conflict, joining Kenya, South Sudan, and Ethiopia in the latest suggestions made by the regional block, which is responsible for peace and stability.

The pick of Somalia is not quite shocking given the tremendous steps made in state-building, following years of conflict and the Al-Shabaab menace. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will lead Somalia in the tasks, whose aim is to change fortunes in the northern part of the continent.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the chairman of the Transitional Council, has been at loggerheads with his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leading to ugly clashes which have left hundreds of people dead and thousands displaced according to the United Nations.

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.

“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," Ruto added while emphasizing that the conflict has paralyzed the economy of the Horn of Africa.

The process, he said, will include national dialogue which is set to start in the coming week. African Union Commission chair Moussa Faki had asked IGAD to work with AU to restore order in Sudan.

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

GAROWE ONLINE