The Kenyan President, William Ruto, has voiced serious concerns about the situation in Sudan, calling for an urgent and inclusive dialogue on peace. Ruto, in a press conference held on Monday, warned that escalating ethnic attacks in Darfur are leading towards potential genocide in the Sudanese region. He further emphasized that the current crisis urgently requires a new leadership capable of extricating Sudan from the humanitarian disaster.
Ethiopian Prime Minister, on his part, proposed the establishment of a no-fly zone in Sudanese airspace and the removal of heavy artillery to prevent exacerbation of the crisis and its impact on the region.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in their statement indicated that decision-making within the military establishment has been hijacked, pointing to multiple decision-making centers aiming to prolong the war. They reported that the military’s boycott of the quadripartite summit is in line with the approach of the previous regime.
The Central Council of the Forces of Freedom and Change Alliance expressed regret over the absence of the military forces’ delegation from the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) quadripartite committee meetings, hoping that the military forces would overcome these formal aspects.
However, the Sudanese government declined the Kenyan President’s mediation during the IGAD summit held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, which saw representatives from Saudi Arabia, the African Union, and the United States.
The final statement of the IGAD quadripartite mechanism called on both sides of the conflict in Sudan to immediately cease fire and resort to dialogue, emphasizing that there is “no military solution in Sudan.” It also urged the rapid establishment of safe humanitarian corridors for aid delivery to those in need.
It is noteworthy that the African Union and the IGAD, a regional development organization in East Africa, are making concerted efforts to mediate the crisis in Sudan. However, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously refused to engage with the initiative unless Kenya is removed from the presidency of the quadripartite committee.
