Regional mediation efforts to end war in Sudan persist

Kenyan President William Ruto says that his country will remain committed to engaging warring parties in Sudan. The US envoy for the Horn of Africa had a meeting with the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The Kenyan president met Yousef Ezzat, envoy of paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Lt Gen Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo, in Nairobi on Friday.

“Kenya remains committed to the urgent cessation of hostilities in Sudan. We are ready to engage with all the parties and to offer any support towards a lasting solution,” Ruto said.

The Kenyan president is a key player in the IGAD mediation bloc, alongside the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, and Djibouti’s president Ismail Guelleh.

On Thursday, the US Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, met Executive Secretary of IGAD Workneh Gebeyehu in Djibouti, with regard to the US collective international action to end the fighting in Sudan.

“We discussed the evolving situation in Sudan and other regional issues of common concern, and we reaffirmed IGAD’s central role in regional diplomacy and our continued strong collaboration towards peace and stability in the region,” Gebeyehu said in a tweet that day.

On Wednesday, a source told Radio Dabanga that the summit of the IGAD region, will take place on June 12, in Djibouti. “The war in Sudan is set to top the agenda and it is very likely that the IGAD mediation bloc will meet on the same date.”

Radio Dabanga reported on May 19 that Malik Agar, the new deputy chairman of the Sovereignty Council, prefers a serious peace process with African partners under the umbrella of the IGAD presidential mechanism.

US sanctions

As reported by Radio Dabanga last week, the USA has imposed visa restrictions on “specific individuals in Sudan, including officials from the SAF, RSF, and leaders from the former Omar Al Bashir regime, responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Sudan’s democratic transition”. US sanctions have also been imposed on four companies “generating revenue from, and contributing to, the conflict in Sudan”.

In a press statement on June 1, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that as directed by US President Joe Biden in his May 4 Executive Order, “we are holding accountable the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and entities under their control for actions that threaten the peace, security, and stability of Sudan”.