Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA: June 8 (Ethiopian Informer) – Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on Saturday welcomed the visit of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to Khartoum, capital of Sudan, for his effort to bring the politically disputed Sudanese parties to the table.
Ethiopia’s Ahmed, who is also the current Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), was in Khartoum on Friday, where he met with leaders of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC).
“The Chairperson welcomes the visit to Khartoum by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister and current Chairman of IGAD, Abiy Ahmed, and the constructive meetings he held with the parties in the crisis in Sudan on Friday,” an AU statement issued on Saturday read.
Faki further expressed “his deep appreciation for the close collaboration between IGAD and the AU Special Envoy Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt and the Special Representative for Sudan Mohamed Belaiche for their joint efforts in bringing parties to urgently resume negotiations.”
Chairperson of the 55-member pan African bloc also noted “with satisfaction that the cooperation between IGAD and the AU is firmly in line with the AU Peace and Security Council decision of 6 June 2019.”
According to the AU, the positive cooperation between the East African bloc and the AU has “further reinforces the AU-led facilitation process to ensure that Africa continues to speak with one voice in its efforts to support the Sudanese people resolve the crisis in Sudan.”
The Ethiopian premier, who travelled to Sudan accompanied with high-level Ethiopian government officials including Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedu Andargachew as well as senior Ethiopian military figures, met with various Sudanese officials in an effort to bring the ongoing political stalemate in Ethiopia’s neighboring Sudan to an end.
Abiy’s visit to Sudan also came a day after the AU suspended the country’s participation in its “all activities.”
“The Council decides… to suspend, with immediate effect, the participation of the Republic of Sudan in all AU activities until the effective establishment of a civilian-led Transitional Authority, as the only way to allow the Sudan to exit from its current crisis,” the AU Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) said on Thursday.
“Should the Transition Military Council fail to hand over power to a civilian-led Transitional Authority, the Council shall, without any further delay, automatically impose punitive measures on individuals and entities obstructing the establishment of the civilian-led Transitional Authority,” the AU added. Enditem
