Ruto: Sudan war has become a human catastrophe
Speaking at State House, Nairobi on Saturday during a joint press briefing with Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar, Ruto said urgent regional and global action is needed to stop the tragedy.
President William Ruto has warned that the war in Sudan is spiraling into carnage, blaming the country’s top generals for showing no concern for human life as the humanitarian crisis worsens.
Speaking at State House, Nairobi on Saturday during a joint press briefing with Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar, Ruto said urgent regional and global action is needed to stop the tragedy.
"There are two generals who have no regard for human life. The war in Sudan is heading towards carnage—it is already a human catastrophe," Ruto said, referring to Sudan’s military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemetti.
“All levers need to be pulled, regionally and globally, to stop the suffering and the tragedy unfolding in Sudan,” Ruto added.
The conflict, which began after a power struggle between the two generals, has displaced more than 12 million people and caused countless deaths.
The United States has since imposed sanctions on Hemetti for genocide, accusing his RSF fighters of committing ethnic killings and sexual violence in Darfur.
"The RSF and allied militias have systematically murdered men and boys — even infants — on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in January.
Ruto has been pushing for peace in Sudan through the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), but his efforts have met resistance.
General al-Burhan rejected Nairobi’s involvement, accusing Kenya of bias and refusing to take part in the IGAD-led peace talks chaired by Ruto.
"Sudan is not concerned with the outcome of the meeting, because it is still waiting for a response from the IGAD regarding Sudan’s objection to Kenya’s chairmanship of the quartet committee," Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in June 2024.
Despite the setback, Ruto has continued to meet various Sudanese stakeholders.
He held talks with al-Burhan in Nairobi on November 11, 2024, and met with ousted civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok three days later.
On January 23, he hosted Sudan Liberation Movement leader Abdulwahid Al-Nur. Earlier, on November 24, he met Hemetti, where he reportedly secured RSF’s commitment to the Jeddah peace talks.
