IGAD agreed to request a summit of Eastern Africa Standby Force for humanitarian access and ‘protection of civilians’. But the initiative faced a setback as a delegation from Sudan’s army failed to attend the first day of meetings, having rejected Kenya’s president as head of the committee facilitating the talks. Attending the IGAD meeting was United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee. Sudanese army no-showIGAD said it regretted the absence of a delegation from the Sudan army, which it said had earlier confirmed attendance. The Kenyan government said last month that the president was a neutral arbiter who was duly appointed by the IGAD summit.

Source: Ethiopian News July 10, 2023 21:13 UTC