Mudavadi: Ruto steadfast in championing peace in Sudan, DRC

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi/FILE

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has affirmed that Kenya is committed to fostering peace in the region.

Mudavadi noted that since independence, Kenya has had 43 peace missions across the world, signifying an active role in the global peace initiatives.

“From the leadership of the founding father of the nation, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, to the second President the late Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, the late Mwai Kibaki, President Uhuru Kenyatta, and now President William Ruto, Kenya, which has been an oasis of peace, has never shied away from offering a helping hand to its warring neighbours in the region, the continent of Africa, and across the globe,” Mudavadi said.

He stated that the presidents have put the country’s foreign policy on mediation and peacemaking on a high pedestal and have utilized their presidency to position themselves as champions of the pan-African agenda of peace and security.

“Under President Ruto, Kenya remains steadfast in championing peace in trouble-stricken countries, including the current and worrying conflicts in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),” he said.

The statement comes hot on the heels of an announcement by Sudan that it recalled its ambassador to Kenya, Kamal Jubara, after Nairobi hosted the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Sudan also vowed escalatory measures following the move by RSF to establish a parallel government while in Nairobi.

“The government of Sudan announced today the withdrawal of its ambassador from Kenya, against the backdrop of the latter's hosting of meetings that included representatives of the Rapid Support Militia and some political parties, which aim to form a parallel government,” Sudan said in a statement.

Khartoum called the move a blatant interference in Sudan's internal affairs and vowed to take escalatory measures in response.

However, Mudavadi said the signing of a peace agreement, and the process for the formation of a Unity Government by Sudanese political parties, civil society, and military groups in the Nairobi peace talks is a step in the road to restoring peace in Sudan.

Mudavadi affirmed that the Nairobi peace talks are just but part of the “Kenyan DNA of problem-solving in the region, and in the continent since its independence."

He added that Kenya’s Foreign Policy 2024, which was unveiled in December last year, and the Foreign Policy Sessional Paper which was tabled in Parliament, has put anchored Kenya's reputation as a peace and security leader, with the country actively involved in peacebuilding efforts and mediating regional conflicts.