Ruto Meets Sudan General Who Rejected His Mediation Role
On Monday, President William Ruto met with Sudan President General Abdel-Fattah Al Burhan, who had previously declined Kenya’s offer of assistance in mediating a resolution to the conflict in the Eastern African country.
During the summit convened at State House in Nairobi, the two leaders reached a consensus on significant points of disagreement, one of which concerned Ruto’s ongoing presidency of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) quartet.
Additionally, the State House verified that the two resolved to implement a framework for peace in the troubled nation.
The objective of the framework is to facilitate a ceasefire between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which is led by Al-Burhan.
“The two leaders reviewed the state of ongoing peace initiatives, including the Jeddah and the IGAD peace process,” the statement read in part.
The two conflicting factions in Sudan reached a peace agreement in October to hold negotiations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after the rejection of Ruto’s appointment as the chief negotiator of IGAD by Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan’s faction.
Notwithstanding their encounter in the Middle East, Al-Burhan and Dagalo were unable to communicate a ceasefire seven months after the initiation of the civil war.
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“The two leaders underscored the urgent need to find a solution for the conflict in Sudan in the shortest time possible,” Kenya and Sudan agreed on taking the talks away from Jeddah and back to the continent.
Both Ruto and Al-Burhan expressed their displeasure with the sluggish advancements observed in Jeddah and deliberated on strategies to expedite the path toward the cessation of hostilities and the augmentation of humanitarian aid.
In addition, Al-Burhan relinquished his previous stance on the matter and agreed to Kenya presiding over the peace negotiations alongside President William Ruto.
“The leaders agreed to work towards the convening of an urgent IGAD Summit to find ways to accelerate the Jeddah process towards cessation of hostilities,” the statement read in part.
During a previous dispute, Al-Burhan contended that President William Ruto had allied with his adversary, General Dagalo.
He abandoned his reservations and consented on Monday that the Summit would strive to facilitate a comprehensive dialogue regarding Sudan.
Ruto Meets Sudan General Who Rejected His Mediation Role