from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Bureau
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – A TOP Kenya politician has appealed to influential nations to stop destabilising Sudan and leave Africa to resolve conflicts in the continent.
Dr Alfred Mutua, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, made the appeal during his visit to the United States, coincidentally one of the nations accused of interfering in the domestic affairs of developing nations.
“And we’re trying to ask – we are asking external forces to leave Sudan alone,” he said at press briefing alongside US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in Washington.
The briefing was ahead of this week’s US-Kenya Strategic Dialogue.
“As an African continent and the AU (African Union) and intergovernmental organisation called IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), we are trying to find solutions for Sudan,” Mutua said.
He noted the US had pulled its teams out of Sudan, but Kenya will maintain its diplomatic offices.
“We’re not shutting them down because we want to have a presence as we negotiate,” Mutua assured.
He said President William Ruto was looking forward to going to Sudan as soon as it stabilises.
“We are trying to engage the two warring parties,” Mutua said.
A fallout between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has plunged the country of 46 million people into conflict that has claimed around 400 lives since last week.
“We are trying to bring them (SAF AND RSF) to the table so that we can have a good end, to a cessation of the violence. What we want is civilian rule eventually over there.”
Following intense negotiation since the weekend, the warring parties late Monday agreed to implement a nationwide ceasefire, to last for 72 hours.
Kenya is East Africa’s economic and political powerhouse.
“As part of the AU, we want to silence the guns in Sudan, want to find an African solution to African problems with the support of our friends,” Mutua said.
“I think the position that Kenya holds is that we don’t want interference by any group,” he added.
Mutua did not want to single out the Warner Group of Russia or individual countries that might be involved directly or indirectly in Sudan.
“At this particular time, we’d just like to be left with Sudan without foreign and other groups interfering with the peace process,” he said.
Despite a call by Kenya for “an African solution to African problems”, Blinken said, “The United States will work with all parties, in coordination with regional and international partners, to bring an end to the fighting and a return to the transition to a civilian government.”
– CAJ News