NAIROBI – President William Ruto and Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have termed the Jeddah peace process as slow even as they agreed to work towards a framework for an all-inclusive dialogue on Monday.
Following the talks at State House Nairobi, the leaders underscored the urgency to accelerate the process towards cessation of hostilities and humanitarian assistance.
In what was seen as a reproachment by the Sudan Armed Forces who had earlier rejected President Ruto as the IGAD lead mediator accusing him of harbouring Rapid Support Forces generals in Nairobi, the two leaders further agreed to convene an urgent IGAD Summit to find ways to accelerate the Jeddah process towards cessation of hostilities in Sudan.
“The Summit will also agree on a framework for an all-inclusive Sudanese dialogue,” the statement released on Monday said.
The parties last week failed to agree on a ceasefire in the first round of Jeddah talks in Saudi Arabia.
“There is an urgent need to find a lasting solution for the conflict in Sudan. The Jeddah Process must be accelerated towards cessation of hostilities in the country,” President Ruto said.
The talks with Burhan follow another meeting between President Ruto and South Sudan’s Salva Kiir on the sidelines of the Saudi Arabia-Africa Summit in Jeddah last week.
During the meeting, Ruto said they “commended IGAD and Jeddah processes that seek to restore peace in the Sudan”. President Kiir is the IGAD deputy chairman, deputising Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti.
President Ruto has in the past maintained that the Sudan talks should be facilitated within the AU-backed IGAD framework.
