Sudan has rejected President William Ruto’s selection as the head of a mediation quartet tasked with facilitating peace under the regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad).
The leader of Sudan’s junta, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accused Kenya of harboring sympathies for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group whose leader, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo Hemedti, was once Al-Burhan’s deputy but is now considered an arch-enemy.
In a recent statement, Sudan rejected the Igad mediation schedule, which would have involved Ruto arranging a face-to-face meeting between the two warring generals for the first time. Despite Sudanese protests, Igad has insisted on maintaining the mediation quartet led by Kenya to pursue peace in Sudan. The official resolutions outlined in an Igad communique will remain in effect until the eight-member bloc’s heads of state and government formally revise them.
The quartet appointed by Igad includes Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. However, Sudan claimed that Igad announced the mediation plan without obtaining consent from Al-Burhan.
Responding to reports on Sudan’s opposition to President Ruto leading the mediation talks, Korir Sing’oei, the Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, stated that no official communication had been issued regarding the change in leadership.
Sing’oei emphasized that only the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Summit had the authority to revoke the appointment.
“Both the inclusion of the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, in the Troika mandated to seek peace in Sudan, and the appointment of President William Ruto to lead the Quartet, were decided by the IGAD Summit and can only be revoked by the Summit,” Sing’oei said.
The rejection of Ruto’s appointment by Sudan highlights the challenges in finding a suitable mediator for the peace process. It also underscores the delicate political dynamics in resolving regional conflicts.
The appointment of Ruto was seen as a significant step toward engaging various stakeholders and facilitating dialogue between the warring factions. However, Sudan’s opposition suggests a lack of trust in Kenya’s impartiality due to its alleged sympathies for the RSF, which is now at odds with Sudan’s leadership.
The mediation quartet’s future and Sudan’s peace process remain uncertain. The situation calls for careful diplomacy and regional cooperation to ensure that a suitable mediator is appointed, acceptable to all parties involved.
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