President William Ruto of Kenya and Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have reached an agreement to support the Jeddah peace process, aimed at resolving the conflict in Sudan, as reported by The East African.
This recent development signifies a significant thaw in relations between the two leaders, demonstrating their shared commitment to fostering peace in the region.
The breakthrough occurred during a meeting between the two leaders in Nairobi, with specific details disclosed by diplomatic sources on November 13, 2023. Burhan’s visit to Nairobi followed a series of diplomatic communications between the two capitals, as well as a brief encounter between President Ruto and Burhan on the margins of the Saudi-African Summit in Riyadh last week.
State House issued a dispatch stating that the summit has paved the way for “a framework for an all-inclusive Sudanese dialogue.”
The declaration holds the potential to be a triumph for both leaders. For Ruto, it marks a reparation of ties with Burhan, who had previously publicly ridiculed Ruto and hinted at the possibility of withdrawing from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an eight-country trade bloc in Africa encompassing governments from the Horn of Africa, Nile Valley, and the African Great Lakes.
On the other hand, for Burhan, the agreement represents recognition as the legitimate leader of Sudan, despite the circumstances of coming to power after a coup and facing obstacles in the transitional process since the ousting of former leader Omar al-Bashir.
Since the outbreak of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 15, 2023, fighting has been concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region. Burhan has engaged in diplomatic visits to neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey. Moreover, he addressed the UN General Assembly, pledging a transition of power to civilian rule upon the resolution of the conflict.
Nevertheless, he faces resistance from those who regard his opponent, Mohamed Hamdani Daglo Hemedti, as his equal.
Amid the conflict, various peace initiatives have emerged, with IGAD pursuing a parallel peace effort involving Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Djibouti. However, Khartoum rejected this quartet, particularly after South Sudan was excluded from the initial mediation role.
