Sudan Seeks Reinstatement in African Union

KHARTOUM - Despite the ongoing conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Khartoum is actively campaigning for Sudan's reinstatement into the African Union (AU) before this weekend's summit for Heads of State and governments.

According to a Sudan Tribune source, Sudan's military leadership is eager to restore ties with the AU, which suspended Sudan's membership on October 27, 2021, following a coup by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that dissolved the civilian government.

Since the suspension, Sudanese senior officials have been engaging in sideline discussions with AU officials, aiming to regain membership. Sudan has missed out on the AU summit for four consecutive years, following the 2019 civilian-led overthrow of Omar al-Bashir, which was later disrupted by military intervention.

The source revealed that Sudan's government has committed to appointing a prime minister and transitioning power to a civilian-led government by the end of February, in line with AU requirements for reinstatement.

On the sidelines of the summit, the AU’s Peace and Security Council will convene a special session on Sudan on February 14, coinciding with a high-level conference in Addis Ababa aimed at addressing Sudan's humanitarian issues.

Additionally, the summit will see the election of a new Chairperson for the African Union Commission, with Moussa Faki's term ending. The leading candidates include Raila Odinga, former Kenyan Prime Minister, and Ali Youssouf, Djibouti's Foreign Affairs Minister.

Odinga is projected to win the elections given his wide economic and political networks around Africa, with former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo leading the campaigns along with other senior African leaders.

The winner shall have an assignment to end the war in eastern DR Congo where M23 rebels seized Goma, a strategic town within the Great Lakes Region, the Sudanese war, violent extremism in Somalia, among other conflicts that have undermined peace in Africa.

GAROWE ONLINE