Kenya has welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah which was agreed on Tuesday after 13 months of hostilities.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi in a statement on Wednesday said the ceasefire paves the way for restoring normalcy between the two neighbouring countries, fostering stability and promoting peace and prosperity across the Middle East.
“Since the onset of the conflict, Kenya has successfully facilitated the evacuation of over 300 of its citizens, with no casualties reported among our nationals. The evacuation efforts remain ongoing to ensure the safety of all Kenyans in the region.
“We call upon leaders across the Middle East to embrace dialogue and prioritise peace and stability in the region,” Mudavadi said.
The US and France,who brokered the deal, said the agreement would “cease the fighting in Lebanon, and secure Israel from the threat of Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations operating from Lebanon”. Hezbollah has been given 60 days to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon while Israeli forces must withdraw from the area over the same period.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the ceasefire, saying it was “the first ray of hope” in months of Middle East conflict.
“It is a moment of great importance, especially for the civilians who were paying an enormous price for the fact that this conflict is not only dragging on, but is also gaining increasingly worrying dimensions,” Guterres said in Lisbon at a joint press conference with Prime Minister LuĂs Montenegro.
He added that it is important that those who signed the agreement fully respect it, and that it paves the way for a political solution to the Lebanese crisis.
