Kenya has denied claims that General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has rejected President William Ruto’s nomination to lead Sudan peace talks.
The clarification came after allegations surfaced that the military officer supported South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit to replace Ruto as the Head of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Sudanese conflict mediation team.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been battling the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary force led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) in Sudan’s capital Khartoum since April in a war that has resulted in the loss of life and the displacement of people.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary, Korir Sing’Oei, said in a statement Thursday that no formal correspondence on the topic had been received.
PS Sing’Oei indicated that the decision to have President Ruto in Djibouti was made during the 14th Ordinary Assembly of the IGAD Heads of State and Governments and could only be reserved by the Summit.
“There has been no official communication on this as of yet.” “However, the IGAD Summit agreed on both the inclusion of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in the Troika mandated to seek peace in the Sudan Crisis and the appointment of William Ruto to lead the Quartet,” he stated.
IGAD Summit
The Principal Secretary went on to say that only the IGAD Summit could overturn the decision to choose President Ruto.
Kenya applauded the IGAD Troika’s expansion to Sudan on June 13.
Kenya was elected as the Chair of the IGAD Quartet to address the Sudan problem, alongside Ethiopia and South Sudan.
South Sudan is a member as well.
“Kenya commits to meeting the two parties face to face in order to find a lasting solution to the crisis,” President William Ruto said.
Djibouti was chosen as the new IGAD Chair to be deputised by South Sudan during the session.
Presidents Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, Salva Kiir of South Sudan, Hassan Mohamud of Somalia, and Abiy Ali of Ethiopia were present.
Malik Akar, Deputy President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of Sudan and Representative of the Chairperson of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government, Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD, and Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, were also present.
President Ruto stated that a humanitarian corridor will be built in the next two weeks to ease assistance delivery.
“In the next three weeks, we will begin the process of an inclusive national dialogue,” he said.
The meeting’s Head of State stated that this will provide the Sudanese people with the appropriate place to address the concerns and future political regime of their country in its diversity.