{"id":110702,"date":"2025-02-20T08:03:42","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T08:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/02\/20\/kenya-denies-backing-rsf-accuses-sudan-junta-of-undermining-democracy\/"},"modified":"2025-02-20T08:03:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T08:03:42","slug":"kenya-denies-backing-rsf-accuses-sudan-junta-of-undermining-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/kenya-denies-backing-rsf-accuses-sudan-junta-of-undermining-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenya denies backing RSF, accuses Sudan junta of undermining democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 \u2013 Kenya on Tuesday defended a controversial meeting in Nairobi led by Sudan\u2019s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), describing it as a nonpartisan platform for dialogue and rejecting accusations of taking sides in the ongoing Sudanese conflict.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a statement issued Wednesday,the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed Kenya\u2019s commitment to facilitating peaceful resolutions to regional conflicts even as it accused Sudan\u2019s military of undermining democratic progress in the war-torn country.<\/p>\n

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi emphasized Kenya\u2019s dedication to regional peace and stability while dismissing claims of bias in hosting Sudanese civilian and RSF representatives.<\/p>\n

He also noted that Sudanese groups have previously sought mediation in neighboring countries, arguing that Nairobi is merely providing a platform for dialogue, as other regional states have done in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe note that this is not the first time groups in Sudan have sought solutions to their crisis by leveraging the good offices of neighboring countries,\u201d Mudavadi stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, in January 2024, parties and stakeholders to the Sudanese conflict met in a neighboring country to chart a way forward on inclusive dialogue and the return to civilian rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

Criticism <\/h2>\n

The RSF meeting in Nairobi, attended by Sudanese civilian and armed groups, has sparked criticism from Sudan\u2019s military leadership, which views it as an endorsement of the paramilitary force in the ongoing war.<\/p>\n

However, Mudavadi insisted that Kenya\u2019s involvement is guided by its longstanding peacekeeping role in the region, asserting that Nairobi has no hidden agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Kenya offers this space, it is without any ulterior motives. It is because we believe there is no military solution to political disputes,\u201d he stated, referencing Kenya\u2019s history of hosting peace negotiations, including the Machakos Protocol of 2002, which helped end Sudan\u2019s second civil war.<\/p>\n

He explained that the RSF and Sudanese civilian groups\u2019 presentation of a roadmap and proposed leadership in Nairobi aligns with Kenya\u2019s peace negotiation role, which is to provide nonpartisan platforms for conflict parties to seek resolutions.<\/p>\n

Mudavadi also raised concerns over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, describing it as one of the world\u2019s worst ongoing conflicts, with over 11 million people displaced, most of them women and children.<\/p>\n

He noted that neighboring countries, including Kenya, are bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis, further straining already overstretched humanitarian resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crisis in Sudan demands urgent regional and global attention,\u201d he emphasized, revealing that Kenya has committed $2 million to humanitarian efforts aimed at alleviating suffering in the war-ravaged nation.<\/p>\n

Unconstitutional change<\/h2>\n

Reaffirming Kenya\u2019s commitment to democracy, Mudavadi aligned the country\u2019s stance with the African Union (AU) Charter on Unconstitutional Change of Government, recalling the AU\u2019s 2021 decision to suspend Sudan following the military coup.<\/p>\n

Kenya, he added, stands in solidarity with the people of Sudan as they navigate their political future through dialogue, vowing that Nairobi will continue working with regional and international partners\u2014including IGAD and the AU\u2014to facilitate peace efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a country, we remain ready, individually and collectively, to support any efforts agreed upon by the people of Sudan in ensuring stability and prosperity for their nation and the entire Horn of Africa region,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sudan\u2019s military leadership has strongly opposed the RSF-led meeting in Nairobi, viewing it as an attempt to legitimize the paramilitary group, which has been locked in a brutal power struggle with the army since April 2023.<\/p>\n

Parallel government <\/h2>\n

Kenya\u2019s response came a few hours after the RSF\u2019s legal advisor clarified that their convention with allied factions in Nairobi is not aimed at forming a parallel government or signing any agreements.<\/p>\n

Instead, it seeks to establish proposals to address the root causes of Sudan\u2019s crisis and ultimately end the war.<\/p>\n

Ezzeldin Al Safi, the RSF commander\u2019s legal advisor, said they would return to Sudan when the time comes to form a government, emphasizing that the RSF has no intention of governing externally.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to stress that we are not here to form a government, not in Kenya or elsewhere outside Sudan. When it comes to the decision to form a government, absolutely, we will go back to Sudan where the Sudanese people will decide,\u201d Al Safi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a facilitation and convening area where we genuinely want to come together peacefully and address the root causes of the problem,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Al Safi defended the decision to hold the negotiations in Kenya, citing the historical 2005 meeting, which led to more than a decade of peace, as a precedent.<\/p>\n

He emphasized that Kenya is merely providing neutral ground for facilitation and dialogue.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreviously, the state of Kenya welcomed the Sudanese in 2005, marking the end of one of the bloodiest wars between South and North Sudan. We are following the footsteps of our previous leaders who came together to help solve Sudan\u2019s problems. Right now, we want to end all wars in Sudan,\u201d he said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 \u2013 Kenya on Tuesday defended a controversial meeting in Nairobi led by Sudan\u2019s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), describing it as a nonpartisan platform for dialogue and rejecting accusations of taking sides in the ongoing Sudanese conflict. In a statement issued Wednesday,the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed Kenya\u2019s commitment to facilitating […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110702\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}