Kenyan President William Ruto held talks on Wednesday with the head of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, amid new efforts to bring lasting peace to the war-torn country.
The meeting came amid concerns over an escalation of the conflict following clashes between the RSF and the Sudanese Army since mid-April 2023.
“Kenya is not looking for anything other than a peaceful resolution and a stable neighbor.”
The President called on the warring parties in the Sudanese conflict to engage in dialogue and work towards a lasting peace.
General Dagalo stated, referring to the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) resolutions calling for an immediate end to violence and human rights violations in Sudan:
My position has always been to get an AU (African Union) solution through IGAD.
The resolutions back the Sudan-led political process to establish a transitional government and ensure free and fair elections, as well as calling for the release of political prisoners and the protection of fundamental rights.
A statement issued by the President of Kenya after the meeting read:
“Kenya appreciates the commitment by the Rapid Support Forces and its leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to ending the conflict in Sudan through dialogue.”
According to the UN, the conflict has claimed more than 12,000 lives and injured more than 33,000 people. The statement said about half of Sudan’s population, equivalent to 25 million people, would need humanitarian aid in 2024.
Dagalo was visiting Kenya as part of a regional tour that took him to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda over the past weeks.
