President William Ruto has for the first time spoken about the rejection to lead peace talks in Sudan.
In a statement on Tuesday, he asked warring parties in Sudan to allow humanitarian agencies to operate freely.
“The agencies are helping to alleviate the suffering caused by the conflict and their work should proceed unimpeded,” Ruto said.
He was speaking when he met the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi who briefed him on the humanitarian and refugee crisis in Sudan.
Last week, Sudan rejected the appointment of President Ruto as head of a quartet to facilitate peace under the regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Sudan’s Army General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan opposed Ruto’s chairmanship, stating that Kenya is not neutral and continues to harbor leaders of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebels.
Kenya was elected as Chair of the IGAD quartet to resolve issues in Sudan on June 12, 2023, in Djibouti; other countries in the quartet include Sudan, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.
Sudan also rejected the Igad mediation schedule, which would have seen Ruto arrange for a face-to-face meeting, for the first time, between the two warring generals.
However, on Tuesday, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told President Ruto that the situation has escalated and the number of refugees fleeing the war is expected to hit the two million mark.
“The huge number of refugees at the borders of Egypt and Chad has led to a lot of suffering. The saddest part is that the humanitarian staff are not respected and the UNHCR office in Khartoum has been destroyed,” he said.
Image: PCS
Grandi also informed the President that the UN agency had received a huge boost for its humanitarian efforts after a call for donations raised $1.5 billion on Monday.
He explained that the organisation is seeking $3 billion.
In return, President Ruto commended the fundraising effort and thanked Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his tremendous leadership.
Speaking in his capacity as chair of the IGAD Quartet Group of Countries, President Ruto said they were working to end the crisis.
The quartet brings together Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Giving an update, President Ruto said the Council of Ministers of the group met on Monday under the chairmanship of Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Alfred Mutua. BY THE STAR