Kenya’s President William Ruto remains adamant on leading the AU-backed IGAD Quartet that is seeking to broker a peace deal in Sudan.
This emerged on Sunday, when President Ruto spoke with the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan Chairman Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
In the phone call, Ruto said the IGAD and Jeddah processes must work together to facilitate the realisation of a permanent ceasefire in Sudan.
“They must also push for the free movement of humanitarian assistance, the protection of refugees and the reactivation of the Political Process,”Ruto, who is the chairman of the IGAD Quartet of Heads of States on Sudan, said.
He added that he also spoke with Chad President Gen Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno on the “speedy restoration of normalcy in Sudan and support for refugee-hosting countries”.
The Al Burhan camp has rejected Ruto’s chairship of the IGAD Quartet, saying he assumed the position without their acceptance. They also accuse him of close ties with Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
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Saudi Arabia and US mediators adjourned the Jeddah talks last month after a series of repeatedly violated ceasefires.
However. reports indicated Sudanese army representatives have returned to Jeddah to resume the talks with their paramilitary foes as the war between rival generals entered its fourth month.
“A delegation of the armed forces has returned to Jeddah to resume negotiations with Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebels,” the source told AFP.
Another intervention has been started in Cairo, Egypt, with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi hosting a meeting of leaders from Sudan’s six neighbouring countries on Thursday to discuss the ongoing conflict.
While only Ruto as chairman and Ethiopia PM Abiy Ahmed as the host and member attended inagural IGAD Quartete meeting in Addis Ababa, the Cairo peace talks were attended by the leaders of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, the Central African Republic and Libya.
President el-Sissi said his vision for the crisis’ end includes a lasting cease-fire agreement, the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors and a dialogue framework that would include all of Sudan’s wide-reaching political forces.
He also called on the warring parties to commit to ceasefire negotiations organized by the IGAD team headed by Ruto.
Ruto and el-Sissi met in Nairobi on Sunday on the Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the AU, where the Kenyan President said strong bilateral relations are beneficial for the pursuit of a more united and prosperous Africa, and that together with other countries, they will work to end conflict and suffering in the Sudan and across Africa.
IGAD Quartet seeks East Africa Standby Force deployment in Sudan
