Sudan has suspended its ties with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), East Africa's regional bloc that was going to broker talks between the country's two warring rivals. Rapid Support Forces  (RSF) forces have been fighting against troops loyal to Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan since April last year.

The announcement was made by the country's Foreign Ministry, who said the government suspended its involvement in mediation efforts after IGAD added Sudan to the agenda of a meeting scheduled for January18th in Kampala, Uganda, and invited the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, to attend the meeting.

The Ministry has said the invitation "is a violation of Sudan's sovereignty and a violation of the IGAD charters and rules governing the work of international and regional organizations....