Kenya: National Security Advisor Monica Juma's alarm over Sudan war helping terrorists set up bases

File image of the state's National Security Advisor Amb. Monica Juma

Kenya's National Security Advisor Monica Juma has raised concerns that the ongoing war in Sudan could open doors for terrorist groups to assert themselves in the country and the larger East African region.

In an interview with the National, Juma noted that numerous armed factions, among them transnational criminal gangs and terror organisations, are gradually joining in on the war that has seen General Mohamed Dagalo's Rapid Support Forces take up arms against the General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan-led Sudanese military.

"More fundamentally and worrying is the growing number of armed groups that are joining in on the war, making it involve transnational and armed groups," she said.

"This portends a risk where we can begin to see networks between criminal gangs but also terror groups, particularly connecting to the Sahel groups and even as far as the eastern side of East Africa with Al-Shabaab."

Juma added that the civil war, which started on April 15 in Khartoum and Darfur before spreading to other parts of the country, will likely lead to the fragmentation of Sudan while augmenting the fragility of neighbouring nations.

"With its eruption in Darfur and the tensions we are seeing in other regions including fighting in North Kordofan and other areas such as Blue Nile there is a real risk of fragmentation of Sudan," she said.

"Now beyond Sudan, it means that it is also accentuating the fragility of its neighbourhood. You will know that Sudan has neighbours that are fragile and some of them in conflict, whether you are talking about Libya, Chad, CAR or South Sudan."

She similarly stated that the same countries are experiencing an influx of Sudanese refugees which is further contributing to their vulnerability.

"There is a huge outflow of people as refugees in these countries, stressing them further and this is why even within the region, there has been a lot of consistent calling for efforts that ensure Sudan's integrity is maintained," said Juma.