Sudan Ceasefire: Ruto to meet Sudan delegation in Nairobi

Malik Agar deputy leader Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council signs visitors book after he arrived at JKIA on May 28, 2023. [Mwangi Maina, Standard]

President William Ruto is expected to host Sudan's delegation amid efforts to deescalate the war that has left many civilian dead and others displaced.

This is after President of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council and head of the Sudanese army General Abdelfattah al-Burhan dispatched a team led by Malik Agar, his deputy to have talks with Ruto. President William Ruto.

Agar, who was appointed to replace RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo as Deputy President of the Transitional Sovereign Council, arrived on Sunday evening, and is expected to meet Ruto in a bid to find ways to bring the ongoing fight to an end.

Ruto who has been tasked by a regional bloc, IGAD together with other Heads, to help in reconciling the conflicting groups has previously called out the two generals for the fighting in Khartoum.

The conflict that broke out a month ago has killed hundreds of people, sent more than 200,000 into neighbouring states, displaced another 70,000 inside the country, and risks drawing in outside powers and destabilizing the region.

President Ruto has however maintained that the African continent will not recognize any military rule in the troubled nation.

"The bombing of buildings, hospitals, and infrastructure is unacceptable. Those generals have no business, they have no reason to destroy a country that has been built painstakingly by the people of this continent, by our brothers and sisters in Sudan" said Ruto.

On Sunday, the African Union Peace and Security Council chaired by Uganda President, Yoweri Museveni, met and engaged on ways to end the conflict.

President Museveni called for an immediate cessation of hostilities noting that Sudan does not belong to the army or the RSF.

"Sudan belongs to the People and therefore I call upon the immediate cessation of hostilities to allow the people elect their leaders," said Museveni.

The delegation arrives at a time Saudi Arabia and the United States called for the extension of a cease-fire deal that has brought some let-up in a six-week war between the two military factions.

A week-long cease-fire brokered in Saudi and U.S.-led talks in Jeddah is due to run until Monday evening with both countries remotely monitoring the truce, which has been repeatedly violated.