Sudan Crisis: Ruto’s Advisor Seeks US Support
Monica Juma, the National Security Advisor to President William Ruto, has sought out the United States government to end the conflict in Sudan.
Juma spoke by phone with Jake Sulivan, the National Security Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, on the evening of Tuesday, July 25, about measures the two nations can take to resolve humanitarian crises in the North African nation.
The two leaders discussed the necessary measures to restore democracy to the troubled nation.
“We reviewed the state of the region and the imperative to cohere efforts towards responding to growing humanitarian crises, stopping the war in Sudan, supporting the strengthening of democratic dispensation, the effect of the climate crisis, Kenya’s commitment to the search for peace and security beyond our region, and the value of engagement with the Africa climate summit scheduled for September 2023,” Juma said in a statement.
“I urged the United States to pay greater attention to the evolving dynamics and trends in the Horn of Africa and its surrounding region,”
General Yasser Al-Atta of the Sudan Armed Forces dared Ruto to a fight between his forces and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers the day before the meeting.
The escalation of hostility occurred only a few months after Al-Atta accused the Head of State of funding the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which are attempting to seize control of Khartoum.
ALSO READ: Kenya’s Swift Response to Sudan’s Call for War
Al-Atta stated, “The state (Kenya) that financially supports you (RSF) and mercenaries like you must also bring its army… leave the East African forces and come with your army to intervene; we are waiting.”
Alfred Mutua, Cabinet Secretary of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Kenya had yet to respond to the threats because his Ministry had not received the complete context.
The faction commanded by Al-Atta rejected Ruto’s repeated offers to mediate a truce between the warring parties, accusing him of partiality.
The generals accuse Ruto of having ties to General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the commander of the RSF.
Ruto initially volunteered to mediate peace talks and was ratified to do so at a summit of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) convened in Addis Ababa on 15 June.
Ruto appealed for the unhindered operation of humanitarian agencies following his initial rejection, stating that ‘agencies are assisting to alleviate the suffering caused by the conflict, and their work should proceed unimpeded.’
Hundreds of citizens have died as a result of the April conflict between the Sudanese military and the country’s primary paramilitary force.
The two major factions are engaged in a power struggle whose repercussions began in 2019 with the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir.
Sudan Crisis: Ruto’s Advisor Seeks US Support