Ruto chairs first IGAD meeting on Sudan peace process

President William Ruto attends 14th Ordinary Assembly of the IGAD Heads of State and Government in Djibouti on June 12, 2023 (Image: PCS)

President William Ruto is currently chairing the inaugural high-level meeting on the Sudan Peace process in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Other than Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Djibouti are also part of the peace meeting.

State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed, in a statement, said the four countries will have their discussions focused on how to stop hostility between the two warring factions, and to enable humanitarian aid access.

They will also discuss steps that can be taken to have an inclusive civilian process that will lead to lasting peace in Sudan.

"The focus among others is to achieve a cessation of hostilities, facilitate humanitarian access and undertake concrete steps in support of an inclusive civilian Sudanese process that leads to sustainable peace in Sudan," Hussein said.

The meeting comes even after Sudan rejected the appointment of President Ruto as head of a quartet to facilitate peace under the regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

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

Kenya was elected as Chair of the IGAD quartet to resolve issues in Sudan on June 12, 2023, in Djibouti.

Sudan also rejected the IGAD mediation schedule, which would have seen Ruto arrange for a face-to-face meeting, for the first time, between the two warring generals.

Ruto, however, dismissed the allegations that the Rapid Support Forces leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, is in Kenya.

"The main accusation against Kenya is that we have Hemedti in one of our hospitals in Nairobi which is not true. It is a whole false narrative," he said.

Ruto has always insisted the war in Sudan was unacceptable, adding there were already signs of genocide.