Following the hosting of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) by Kenya at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sudan has expressed regret over the decision.
RSF, one of the warring factions accused of genocide in the protracted Sudan war, on Tuesday, February 19 held a meeting in Nairobi to launch a parallel government in Khartoum of what it termed as a “Government of Peace and Unity”.
The event was a preliminary step towards forming a new political alliance comprising political forces and armed groups supporting the sanctioned militia.
Sudan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry on Tuesday evening expressed regret over Kenya’s decision to host the event saying that it contradicted the latter’s commitments at the highest level not to allow hostile activities against Sudan on its territory.
The ministry noted that the event’s stated goal was to establish a parallel government in a part of Sudanese territory.
Sudan slams Kenya
Further, it said that the move constituted a declaration of hostility against the Sudanese people and accused Kenya of encouraging the division of African countries, violating their sovereignty, interfering in their affairs, and contravening the UN Charter, the African Union Constitutive Act, and international norms.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets the Kenyan government’s disregard for its obligations under international law, the Charter of the United Nations, the Constitutive Act of the African Union, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by hosting the event of signing a so-called “political agreement” between the terrorist Janjaweed militia-responsible for ongoing acts of genocide in Sudan and its affiliated individuals and groups,” the statement reads in part.
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The Kenyan government was also accused of having reneged on its obligations under international law, the UN Charter, and the Genocide Convention by allowing the gathering that involved RSF, which Sudan holds responsible for ongoing genocide.
According to the Sudanese ministry, the event in Nairobi would have no impact on the ground, citing the army’s determination, joint forces from armed movements, and supporting forces to liberate every inch of territory controlled by the RSF.
The ministry at the same time called on the international community to condemn the Kenyan government’s actions, adding that it would take steps to rectify the situation.
“Furthermore, hosting leaders of the terrorist RSF militia and allowing them to conduct political and propaganda activities while they continue to perpetrate genocide, massacre civilians on an ethnic basis, attack IDP camps, and commit acts of rape constitutes an endorsement of and complicity in these heinous crimes,” the statement adds.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Youssef had on January 26 noted that Kenya’s position on Sudan had changed.
RSF in Nairobi
Following a meeting with President William Ruto in Nairobi, Youssef said Ruto pledged not to recognize any government the RSF intends to announce in areas under its control.
The statement by the Sudanese ministry comes after Lt General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo-led RSF on Tuesday was allowed to hold a meeting in Nairobi to launch a parallel government in Khartoum.
The sanctioned Sudanese faction and other groups drawn from political parties, civil society, youth and social groups gathered at KICC where they said they would be launching a parallel administration known as the “Government of Peace and Unity.”
Set to proceed for two days, the event will culminate with the signing of the Charter for the Government of Peace and Unity will be signed with “broad popular participation and a large diplomatic and international presence”.
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Among the high-profile attendees were US-sanctioned RSF deputy commander Abdulrahim Hamdan Dagalo, brother to RSF commander Lt Gen Dagalo, who is fighting against the Sudan Armed Forces led by General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, the leader of Sudan.
The group, including its Lt Gen Dagalo, is sanctioned by the US and barred from travelling to America. Any of their assets in the US have also been frozen.
Pledge by Ruto
On February 15, Kenya pledged US$ 2 million (approximately Ksh258 million) to support over 30 million Sudanese people in need of humanitarian assistance.
President Ruto while speaking during a High-Level Humanitarian Conference for the People of Sudan in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia said Kenya alongside the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) remains prepared to support and facilitate efforts towards a negotiated settlement that will end the suffering of the people of Sudan.
Ruto further urged warring parties in the Sudan conflict to embrace genuine and inclusive dialogue, as sustainable peace cannot be achieved through military means.
The conflict in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.
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