Mamer Abraham
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. President Salva Kiir and the Kenya’s President William Ruto agreed on collective initiative to pursue the elusive ceasefire in Sudan.
The Sudanese war, which started on April 15, 2023, between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has had far-reaching impacts on the regional peace with a concern from the UN that capital war crimes and crimes against humanity might have been committed.
On Saturday, President Salva Kiir said in a video shared by Daily News that he had agreed with Ruto that the two countries would join efforts to end the conflict in Sudan.
“We agreed that these relations provide an avenue for our two countries to enhance mutual cooperation in areas of mutual interest in line with IGAD mandate on regional security, we also deliberated on the ongoing crisis in the Sudan, specifically our attempt as the region to resolve that conflict,” Kiir stated in a video shared by Daily News.
Kiir stated that he still called for a solid platform that brings all the peace initiatives to end the Sudanese war together.
“I also reaffirmed what I said in Cairo on the need to expand IGAD Mediation in order to bring other initiatives under its umbrella,” he added.
“On issues we have discussed, President Ruto and I agreed to continue working on them for the benefit of our region. And I look forward to working with him on these areas for mutual benefit of our two countries.”
Ruto described Kiir as a committed public figure to ending of the conflict in South Sudan.
According to Citizen Digital, Ruto stressed the importance of the bilateral relations between the two sisterly countries that he described as historical relations.
“It is my commitment that we want to improve, scale up, deepen and widen the relations between our two countries,” he stated in a video shared by Citizen Digital.
The conflict in Sudan has caused massive loss of lives and property as an estimated over 4 million Sudanese are displaced according to the UN data.
Crimes committed
In May, President Ruto gave a stern warning to the warring Sudanese parties that the crimes they would pay for the crimes they were committing against civilians.
“As a continent, we are going to make sure that the hard work of the people of Sudan under a democratic government does not go to waste,” Ruto stated.
“We are also going to hold these generals accountable for the humanitarian crisis the people of Sudan are going through.”
On July 13, 2023, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan told the Security Council that the court had launched investigations into crimes of genocide, and crimes against humanity that might have been committed in Sudan.
Khan was particular that the court was investigating crimes committed against children, and sexual and gender-based violence, focusing on perpetrators.
“The investigations that we are looking at encompass also many allegations in West Darfur: looting and judicial killings, extrajudicial killings, burnings of homes, and also allegations in North Darfur,” Khan told the Security Council.
He urged the Sudanese to report to the ICC any information of new or old crimes committed against civilians in Darfur and other parts of Sudan.
Peace efforts
In addition to the Jeddah Initiative brokered by the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the IGAD neighbours initiative championed by the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi; the IGAD Quartet led by President Ruto had made no significant strides to end the conflict. This is after Ruto’s nomination to chair mediation talks had been rejected by the Sudanese government.
Despite numerous attempts by IGAD to bring the warring parties on the negotiating table, the Sudanese chairman of Transitional Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan rejected Ruto’s IGAD Quartet leadership.
Burhan accused Ruto of harbouring RSF rebels in the Kenyan capital, Sudan, a sentiment which made his delegation protest IGAD Quartet meeting in Addis Ababa. Ruto denied the allegations.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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