President William Ruto is
finding himself at loggerheads with
the African Union after the Peace
and Security Council on Tuesday
condemned the announcement in
Nairobi of a parallel government in
Sudan.
In a statement on Wednesday,
AUPSC warned the parallel
government formed by the sanctioned
Rapid Support Forces and allied
groups risks partitioning Sudan.
On February 22, RSF and allied
political and social formations
announced the parallel government
that would govern in areas under its
control.
This was despite protests by the
Sudan junta, which accused Ruto
of interfering with the country’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Through its Foreign ministry, Sudan
said Kenya’s “irresponsible stance” in
embracing the “genocide-linked” RSF
militia isolates the country regionally
and internationally, placing it in the
category of a rogue state that defies
international norms.
The council, which is the AU
standing decision-making organ for
the prevention, management and
resolution of conflicts, urged all
member states and the international
community not to recognise any
such government or entity that
seeks to partition or govern Sudan or its institutions.
“Council further
called on all member states and
the international community to
refrain from recognising and/or
providing support or assistance to
any armed or political group toward
the establishment of a parallel
government or state entity in the
Republic of Sudan.
“Council does not recognise the
purported parallel government or
entity in the Republic of Sudan,” the
statement of the 1264th Meeting of
the PSC on the Situation in Sudan
said.
The position aligns with the AU
Constitutive Act, whose key objective
is to “defend the sovereignty,
territorial integrity and independence of its member states”.
The statement
by the AU security organ comes as an
indirect condemnation of the Kenya
government’s greenlight to RSF and allies to meet for weeks in Nairobi in
which the charter and the transitional
constitution were signed and the
‘government’ announced.
