A United States Senator has responded after Kenya hosted a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) event in Nairobi. U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch on Friday, February 21, evening condemned the Kenyan government’s decision to host the event saying that it was an attempt to obscure the truth of the atrocities committed by warring factions since the civil war erupted.
This is after the Sudan paramilitary outfit held a meeting in Nairobi to launch a parallel government in Sudan’s capital Khartoum of what it termed a “Government of Peace and Unity”.
According to reports, the event was a preliminary step towards forming a new political alliance comprising political forces and armed groups supporting the sanctioned militia which is one of the warring factions accused of genocide in the protracted Sudan war.
US Senator Jim Risch Responds to Kenya Hosting Sudan RSF Rebels
Senator Risch highlighted that he led efforts in Congress to recognize “RSF-led atrocities in Sudan”, which has since become a U.S. policy, adding that Kenya’s actions will not end the massacre.
“Last year, I led efforts in Congress to recognize RSF-led atrocities in Sudan, which have contributed to over 150k deaths, as genocide. In January, it became U.S. policy,” the Senator said.
Risch added, “Now, Kenya, a U.S. ally, is helping the RSF legitimize their genocidal rule in #Sudan under the guise of peacemaking—this is an unthinkable attempt to obscure the truth and will not end the massacre.”
His statement comes after RSF on Tuesday was allowed to hold a meeting in Nairobi ahead of the launch of a parallel government in Khartoum.
The Lt General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo-led Sudanese faction and other groups drawn from political parties, civil society, youth and social groups gathered at the KICC where they said they would be launching a parallel administration known as the “Government of Peace and Unity.”
Among the high-profile attendees were US-sanctioned RSF deputy commander Abdulrahim Hamdan Dagalo, brother to commander Lt Gen Dagalo, who is fighting against the Sudan Armed Forces led by General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, the leader of Sudan.
Set to proceed for two days, the event was set to culminate with the signing of the Charter for the Government of Peace and Unity which the group said would be signed with “broad popular participation and a large diplomatic and international presence”.
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However, the planned press conference by RSF in Nairobi on Thursday was rocked by confusion, with conflicting information flooding newsrooms.
Formation of parallel Sudan gov’t in doubt
The initial invitation, sent by the Sudan Founding Alliance, which includes the RSF and various armed struggle movements, on Wednesday invited journalists to cover the event from 10:30am-12pm.
Newsrooms, however, received an update just two hours before the scheduled time stating the event had been moved to 4pm due to technicalities.
At around 11:45am, a new press invite was sent out, shifting both the time and the location again, now setting the conference for 3:30pm-4:30pm at a different venue.
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Hours later, journalists arrived at the new venue at a hotel in Wetslands at 3:30pm but the management confirmed that the event was cancelled.
A final communication from the Sudan Founding Alliance arrived moments later announcing that the press conference had been postponed to a later date.
“We regret to inform you that the press conference has been postponed to a later date, which will be communicated,” read the text.
The shifting announcements, ongoing changes and uncertainty pointed to a divided group.
Additionally, the RSF’s planned announcement of a political charter and constitution was thrown in limbo amid mounting confusion and disarray.
Kenya responds
The confusion followed Kenya’s support for the RSF with Musalia Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, defending Kenya’s position.
Reacting after the move sparked diplomatic concerns, Mudavadi stated that RSF’s roadmap aligns with the country’s principles of mediation adding that RSF is also leveraging good offices in Nairobi.
The CS, who is also the Prime Cabinet Secretary, was responding after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sudan expressed regret over Kenya’s decision to host RSF.
The ministry on Tuesday said that the decision contradicted Kenya’s commitments at the highest level not to allow hostile activities against Sudan on its territory.
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.
RSF, including its leader 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.
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