On 15 April 2023, armed clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the regular army in the Sudanese capital Khartoum were reported. Later, the fighting between the military forces spread to other Sudanese regions.

Kenya Vows Neutrality in Pursuing Peace for Conflict-Torn Sudan

18:57, 20 June 2023

Gleb Chugunov

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The Intergovernmental Authority on Development's (IGAD) quartet on the Sudanese crisis, consisting of Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and South Sudan, stated that Kenya will host the process which seeks to reach sustainable peace, as well as peaceful transition to democracy in Sudan either in mid-July or in the beginning of August.

Sputnik

Kenya is vowing neutrality in the Sudan conflict as the regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), stated it will press ahead with implementing its recent summit's decisions on finding peace in Sudan in spite of objections from Khartoum over Nairobi's leadership.

Sudan had objected to the decision to remove South Sudan as the group's leader, as well as the IGAD's proposal that the two main rivals, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the Sudan Armed Forces and Mohammed Dagalo Hemedti of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have a face-to-face meeting in one of the capital cities in the region. Sudan's armed forces voiced discontent with Kenya's description of the current conflict as "fighting between two generals".

The quartet, a group of four members of the bloc, met on Monday under Kenya's direction to develop a plan for the Sudan reconciliation effort.

Kenya's interest in the crisis, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs in Nairobi, is for the bloodshed to stop.

"As we have always stated, Kenya's only interest in Sudan is regional peace. We remain a neutral arbitrator on matters of peace for our neighbors as a precursor to the much sought-after development," the east African nations' Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

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The other three members of the quartet, South Sudan, Djibouti, and Ethiopia, were present at the meeting. According to the conclusions, the quartet will work with the African Union and Sudanese parties and stakeholders to carry out the Sudan peace plan that IGAD agreed on at the Ordinary Assembly last week in Djibouti.

The team will "ensure that all the concerns and requests of the Sudanese people are duly considered and addressed," according to a report from the virtual conference.

The four countries involved emphasized the importance of prioritizing a face-to-face meeting to effectively address key issues, such as the cessation of hostilities and the delivery of humanitarian aid. These issues were identified as the initial focus areas outlined in the roadmap.