Kenya dismisses Sudan Gov’t rejection of Ruto as head of IGAD mediation team

The government has brushed aside objections to Kenya's chairing of the Sudan mediation initiative by one of the parties to the dispute, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

In a statement to newsrooms on Friday evening, State House Spokesman Hussein Mohamed said Kenya remains committed to regional and international initiatives, and will continue to actively participate in seeking peaceful and sustainable resolution to conflicts in the neighbourhood.

On Thursday, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei had indicated that the government would remain guided by decisions of regional and international mechanisms rather than the views of any side to the conflict.

Mohamed pointed out that Sudan had chaired the IGAD Heads of State and government session that deliberated and adopted resolutions to grant Kenya the chairmanship of the IGAD quartet on resolving the crisis in Sudan.

“The IGAD roadmap for the resolution of the conflict in the Republic of Sudan was formulated by the assembly of Heads of State and government, the highest governing body of the regional organization,” stated Mohamed.

The State House Spokesperson asserted that: “Kenya, like any other IGAD member state, is obligated to adhere to these resolutions. It is noteworthy that Sudan chaired the summit of Heads of State and government that deliberated and adopted these resolutions.”

Sudan's Army General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has opposed President William Ruto's chairmanship, stating that Kenya is not neutral and continues to harbor leaders of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebels.

General al-burhan is locked in a power struggle with Sudan's paramilitary RSF under General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Kenya was elected as Chair of the IGAD quartet to resolve issues in Sudan on June 12, 2023 in Djibouti; other countries in the quartet include Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

To sum up his remarks to the media in Djibouti, President Ruto states: “Kenya commits to meet the new Sudan Generals to find a lasting solution to the crisis.”