Sudan urges African Union to end suspension of its membership

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) – Sudanese Foreign Minister Muhi al-Din Salem Ahmed renewed his call on Thursday for the African Union (AU) to end the suspension of his country’s membership in the bloc.

Speaking at a session of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, Salem said the conflict in Sudan has reached its end.

"War is not our goal and we will continue to seek peace," the top diplomat said in his comments cited by Sudanese media, stressing that the Sudanese government continues its efforts to achieve lasting peace in the country.

He accused certain foreign actors of fueling the conflict in Sudan, without naming them, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of unlawfully exploiting gold resources in territories under their control.

In remarks to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television, Salem stressed Sudan's role in safeguarding the African continent from what he called “various threats, particularly foreign armed interference.”

“Ending the suspension of the Sudan’s membership would benefit Africa,” the minister said, adding that his country is a founding member of the AU.

The local daily Sudan Tribune, citing Sudanese diplomatic sources, said Sudan plans to formally request the African Union’s Peace and Security Council on Thursday to resume the country’s membership in the bloc.

The pan-African body suspended Sudan’s membership in October 2021 after Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan sacked the government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and declared a state of emergency.

The AU said Sudan’s suspension would remain in place until a civilian-led transitional authority was effectively restored.

Sudan has been locked in a bloody conflict between the army and the RSF since April 2023, killing tens of thousands, displacing about 13 million people, and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to UN reports.