By Barack Oduor
A last minute cancellation of a press conference organised by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo with international journalists in Nairobi has raised speculations on whether Nairobi is trying to avoid further diplomatic spat with its neighbours or trying to play safe in the mediation of Sudan conflict.
Journalists who were patiently waiting for Dagalo were first told the leader would not be addressing them before the organizer told them to set up and wait for the leader. The wait was then cut short by a man who rendered an apology on behalf of the leader.
“The General would have loved to address you here but it is unfortunate that he has several meetings that will end up at midnight yet he is expected to fly back very early in the morning tomorrow. We are sorry for not attending this presser,” said the man who identified himself as an employee in the General’s office.
After the aborted presser, a top security chief in Kenya walked into the hotel where security was heavily beefed.
Upon his arrival in Kenya, President William Ruto held talks on Wednesday with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces leader, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, at State House, Nairobi.
General Dagalo, known as “Hemedti”, is a protagonist in the Sudanese conflict that broke out on April 15, 2023, in the capital Khartoum. The army, led by Sudan’s de facto ruler, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy-turned-rival, Dagalo, both accuse each other of attacking first.
The warring generals have never met face-to-face since the outbreak of the conflict that has claimed more than 12,000 lives. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is mediating talks between the two warring factions in Djibouti.
In a statement on X, President Ruto did not divulge more details about his meeting with Dagalo but sounded optimistic about the positive outcome of the mediation process.
“The ongoing Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) talks should bring about a political settlement that would affect lasting peace in the country. We are looking forward to nothing but a peaceful resolution and a stable neighbour,” he said.
“Kenya appreciates the commitment by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its leader, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to ending the conflict in Sudan through dialogue,” he added.
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.
But on June 15, 2023, Sudan rejected Ruto’s appointment as the head of the team. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan opposed Ruto’s chairmanship, stating that Kenya is not neutral and continues to harbour leaders of the RSF rebels.
In a statement, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry accused Kenya of “bias”, citing statements by senior government officials and government’s behaviour in support of the RSF members. The ministry said the Sudanese government informed IGAD of its resolve to support the appointment of South Sudan President Salva Kiir as Head of the quartet.
General Dagalo’s visit to Kenya is his third regional tour since the beginning of the year. He has also been to Ethiopia and Uganda.
He made his first trip abroad on December 31, 2023, when he flew to Djibouti, the facilitator of the IGAD mediation talks.
Hemedti said on X that he discussed the latest developments in the war with Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh. “I outlined our unwavering commitment to ending the conflict and working toward a substantive solution that finally halts the historic suffering of our resilient Sudanese people,” he said.
“Moreover, I emphasized our readiness to participate in negotiations aimed at achieving a swift, just, and comprehensive peace in Sudan.”
In August last year, RSF was singled out by leading rights group and 30 United Nations experts, accused of carrying out rape and sexual violence against women in separate statements.
Sudan plunged into chaos after simmering tensions between the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the Sudanese Armed Forces exploded into open fighting.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that the RSF group apparently targeted non-Arab women and girls in the western Darfur region, as well as activists documenting human rights abuses during the conflict.
“The Rapid Support Forces and allied militias appear responsible for a staggering number of rapes and other war crimes during their attack on El Geneina,” HRW’s crisis and conflict director, Belkis Wille, said in a statement.
“The UN Security Council should show those responsible for abuses that the world is watching by taking urgent steps to bring an end to these atrocities.”
HRW said it documented 78 victims of rape between April 24 and June 26. UN officials warned in June that the fighting in Darfur has taken an ethnic dimension, with the RSF and allied militias targeting African communities.
ET)