NAIROBI, Kenya, May 13 — President William Ruto has intensified Kenya’s criticism of Sudan’s rival military factions, rejecting the continued “babysitting” of the country’s fighting generals as the conflict pushes Sudan deeper into humanitarian catastrophe.
Speaking to France 24 on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Ruto dismissed accusations by Sudan’s military leadership that Kenya is siding with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemetti.
“[The claim of] siding with RSF is completely untrue,” Ruto said, dismissing the allegations as “unverified claims” with no factual basis.
Sudan’s military-led government under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has repeatedly accused Nairobi of favoring the RSF, claims Kenya has consistently denied.
Ruto maintained that Kenya’s position remains focused on dialogue and restoring stability, arguing that both the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF emerged from the same political breakdown that toppled Sudan’s civilian government.
“My position on Sudan is that both SAF and RSF are cut from the same cloth. They are a product of the same coup that overthrew a civilian administration,” he stated.
“They subsequently disagreed, and they have taken the country to the dogs, so to speak.”
Unprecedented
The President warned that the scale of suffering in Sudan had become intolerable, citing mass displacement, refugee flows, civilian deaths, and worsening humanitarian conditions.
“The kind of mayhem in Sudan, the humanitarian suffering, the loss of life, the refugee situation, the displacement in Sudan is on a scale that is unprecedented,” he said.
“There can never be any reason, any justification for anybody to continue babysitting the situation in Sudan. Some tough talk must get into this.”
Ruto revealed that Kenya is pushing for a broader diplomatic framework bringing together Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates to revive peace efforts and pressure both sides into negotiations.
Egypt involvement
He said he discussed the Sudan crisis with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during the Nairobi summit, with both leaders agreeing on the need to push the rival generals back to the negotiating table.
“The war in Sudan affects Egypt, affects Kenya, affects our region, and it is our responsibility,” Ruto said.
The remarks reinforce Kenya’s long-running defense of its mediation role in Sudan despite mounting criticism from Khartoum.
In an interview with Al Jazeera last November, Ruto defended Kenya’s neutrality, insisting Nairobi merely provides democratic space for dialogue and engagement among Sudanese actors.
“Kenya is a great democratic country. We are the only place in East and Central Africa where people can come and meet freely,” he said at the time.
He also dismissed allegations that Kenya facilitated arms transfers to the RSF, terming the accusations false.
Ruto has previously argued that neither the SAF nor the RSF can provide a lasting solution for Sudan, maintaining that the conflict can only be resolved through civilian-led political dialogue.
“Those two generals have no solution for Sudan,” he said during the Al Jazeera interview.
Kenya has hosted meetings involving both General Burhan and Hemetti as part of regional peace efforts under the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) framework and the wider Jeddah peace initiative.
Sudan descended into civil war in April 2023 following a power struggle between the SAF and RSF, triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
According to UN agencies, nearly 30 million people in Sudan require humanitarian assistance, while millions have been displaced internally and across neighboring countries.
The conflict has also drawn international condemnation over alleged atrocities committed during the fighting, including accusations of genocide and attacks on civilians in Darfur.