Home / News

IGAD boss discusses new assignment with South Sudan's Special Envoy

IGAD Executive Secretary Dr Workneh Gebeyehu with the bloc's special envoy to the Republic of Sudan Lawrence Korbandy on April 1, 2024. (Photo: IGAD)

By Mwangi Maina | 02 Apr 2024

Dr Workneh Gebeyehu expressed confidence in Korbandy's extensive experience and deep understanding of regional dynamics.

Days after appointing an Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) special envoy, the bloc's Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu held discussions last week with the South Sudanese special envoy for the Sudan Crisis, Lawrence Korbandy, regarding his new assignment.

Workneh expressed confidence in Korbandy's extensive experience and deep understanding of regional dynamics, emphasising his valuable contribution to addressing challenges in Sudan.

Keep reading

He extended his best wishes to the South Sudan lawyer for success in his new assignment.

Korbandy was supposed to have been appointed last year and to report to the IGAD Quartet (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan) on Sudan.

But the process was derailed after Sudan Armed Forces leader, General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, accused IGAD and Kenyan President William Ruto, who was leading the Quartet, of bias.

In February this year, President Joe Biden of the United States named Tom Perriello as the new US Special Envoy to Sudan.

Perriello embarked on a two-week tour of major capitals in East Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to coordinate efforts for a ceasefire.

Efforts by international organizations and regional states to find credible intermediaries acceptable to both sides of the conflict have faced challenges.

Mediation attempts for a ceasefire have been hindered by regional players aligning with different factions in the civil war.

Despite the involvement of former Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, the United Nations Envoy for Sudan, progress has been minimal.

Analyst's argue Korbandy may have a better chance of being heard, considering Burhan's preference for South Sudan's leadership in IGAD's mediation efforts.

His background as an official advocating international support for the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, which secured independence from Sudan in 2011, could provide reassurance to both Burhan and RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as 'Hemeti'.