Somalia backs Sudan’s call for its sovereignty to be respected

Somalia’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allies met in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesday to discuss the formation of a parallel government in the war-torn country.

The Somali ministry, in a statement, called for the respect of “the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of states in accordance with international law and the charter of the United Nations”.

“Somalia, recognizing the pivotal role of Sudan’s stability in enhancing regional security and peace, expresses its full solidarity with the Sudanese people during this critical stage, stressing the importance of preserving state institutions and legitimate authority in a manner that ensures the unity and stability of the country,” it said.

The statement came after the RSF and its Sudanese allies held a lavish political event at Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Tuesday.

RSF deputy leader Abdul Rahim Dagalo reportedly attended the event, which the paramilitary group said was meant to discuss a charter to pave the way for the establishment of a parallel government in areas under its control in Sudan.

The RSF delayed the signing of the charter with its Sudanese allies until Friday, February 21, at the request of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North group.

In a statement, Sudan’s foreign ministry protested at Kenya’s decision to allow the meeting to take place on its soil, calling it “a clear breach of the UN charter, the Constitutive Act of the African Union and the established principles of the contemporary international order”.

A Kenyan foreign ministry official reportedly said in response that Nairobi was “a supporter of a negotiated settlement to the dispute and has said as much time without number”.