Present of Uganda Yoweri Museveni on Monday attended the emergency virtual 40th Extraordinary Assembly of IGAD‘s Heads of State and Government to discuss the situation in Sudan.
Museveni called for the unconditional and immediate cessation of hostilities to stop the “tragedy and mockery of Africa.”
On the morning of April 15, clashes broke out between the countries two major forces near a military base in Merowe and in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
The situation escalated due to disagreements between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the Sovereign Council (the country’s governing body), and his deputy in the council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) chief.
During proceedings at the IGAD’s Assembly, the Ugandan president strongly condemned the “misuse” of military force.
“I join my comrades, the Heads of State of IGAD to express our deep concerns on the current situation in Sudan and immediately call for a cessation of hostilities between the two sides.
“I condemn the misuse of force in a situation that undermines all progress made through dialogue over the last many months. We cannot keep papering over mistakes of unprincipled politics year after year.
“An unconditional and immediate cessation of hostilities to stop the tragedy and mockery of Africa is of utmost importance,” Museveni said.
Meanwhile, the Trilateral Mechanism comprised of the AU-IGAD-UN reiterated the importance of having a humanitarian pause – which was not fully upheld on Sunday – urging the leadership of both SAF and RSF to adhere to it, including ensuring that this decision is well communicated throughout their ranks.
The pause would provide an opportunity to allow civilians trapped in conflict zones to access assistance and critical supplies, receive medical assistance or to safely get out of the danger zones.
According to the latest data from the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, over 100 civilians have been killed in the fighting.