By Coletta Wanjohi
Murmurs of discontent brewing within Eastern Africa's eight-party Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are now getting loud and clear as the January 18 extraordinary summit of heads of member states starts in the Ugandan capital of Kampala with two countries — Sudan and Ethiopia — skipping the meet.
Sudan has suspended ties with the regional bloc in protest against Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the chief of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), being invited to the summit.
The conflict-ridden country's foreign ministry said the invitation extended to Dagalo was "a violation of Sudan's sovereignty, IGAD charters and rules governing the work of international and regional organisations".
On the other hand, Ethiopia has said it won't be able to participate in the summit because of "commitment to a prior engagement that overlaps with the scheduled meeting and the short notice extended to convene the extraordinary summit".
Ironically, the focus of the summit is on helping end the ongoing row between Ethiopia and Somalia and the internal conflict in Sudan between the military and the paramilitary RSF.
Besides Ethiopia and Sudan, IGAD comprises Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda. Djibouti, the chair of the regional bloc, called for the extraordinary summit on January 11.
Regional wrangling
Ethiopia's conflict with Somalia concerns a new deal between the former and Somaliland. On January 1 this year, Ethiopia inked an agreement to lease the coastline from Somaliland in exchange for recognising its sovereignty.
As part of the agreement, Somaliland plans to lease a 20-kilometre (12.4 miles) stretch of land along its coastline to Ethiopia to establish a marine base, President Muse Bihi Abdi of Somaliland said.
"The memorandum of understanding shall pave the way to realise the aspirations of Ethiopia to secure access to the sea and diversify access to seaports," said a statement from the Ethiopian prime minister's office.
Somalia has suspended diplomatic ties with Ethiopia, claiming that Somaliland remains within its territory and has no power to sign a bilateral deal independently with any country.
Somaliland ceded from Somalia more than 30 years ago but is still to be recognised by the African Union or the United Nations as an independent state.
Ambience of mistrust
On the sidelines of the 19th NAM Summit, which Kampala is hosting concurrently with the extraordinary IGAD meet, Somalia's permanent secretary in the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Hamza Adan Haadow, admitted that his country could not afford a new conflict with a neighbour.
Ethiopia seems determined to continue the relationship it has forged with Somaliland. The two have already signed a military cooperation agreement.
Amid escalating tensions, the US has weighed in on the Somalia-Ethiopia row, flagging potential security concerns posed by the deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland.
"What we are particularly concerned about is that the deal threatens to disrupt the fight that Somalis, Africans in general and regional international partners, including us, are waging against al-Shabab," John Kirby, director of strategic communications for the National Security Council, said.
Sudan's defiance
Sudan's decision to suspend its engagement with IGAD comes just over a month after the transitional government, headed by President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF agreed to begin talks for a possible ceasefire as a first step towards ending the conflict since April last year.
While the much-awaited truce is still to materialise, Sudan has now taken offence at IGAD putting its internal conflict on the summit's agenda "without consultation". RSF chief Dagalo's invitation to the event was the last straw, going by the foreign ministry's statement this week.
The implications of the move could be far-reaching. Cutting ties with IGAD translates into totally blocking the regional bloc's mediation efforts to reconcile the warring sides.
"In the realm of multilateral engagement, inherent diversities in positions & interests among member states underscore the imperative for collaborative efforts in harmonising these perspectives," Nuur Mohamud Sheekh, a former spokesperson for IGAD's executive secretary, wrote on X.
"Today's security paradigm extends beyond national borders, encompassing regional & global dimensions. Recognising the evolving dynamics, IGAD must adapt to these realities through inclusive consultations & necessary reforms to reinforce its efficacy," he advised.
Sudan's beleaguered population continues to suffer the consequences of the country's warring parties. The Sudanese haven't had a semblance of sociopolitical normalcy since the government of Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in 2019.
Nine months into the conflict, which the UN describes as "one of the fastest unfolding crises globally and the largest displacement crisis in the world", around 7.4 million people have been displaced within Sudan or forced to flee to neighbouring countries.
Sudan distancing itself from IGAD and Ethiopia staying away from the Kampala summit suggests the rot runs deep.
