UN wants Kenyan troops to take up Darfur peacekeeping in bid to mend relations

President Uhuru Kenyatta with new UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa

Kenya and the United Nations have agreed to reset their fractured relations caused by a dispute over military deployment in South Sudan.

The thawing of relationship emerged during a bilateral meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and new UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

The meeting, the first in a series of meetings between the UN chief and African leaders, focused on peacekeeping, peace and security, with focus on Kenya's role, as well as events in South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia and Burundi.

"I want the United Nations to be reconciled with Kenya. Let us make a fresh start. Kenya is a very important player in the region and I feel that we have to work together to secure peace and security. Let us put the past behind us," Guterres told President Kenyatta.

"We want to move forward. We have full confidence in Kenya's military. As a sign of our confidence in the Kenya Defence Forces, and in the Kenyan government, the UN would like to offer Kenya the Darfur command," Guterres added.

President Kenyatta said he agreed to a reset in the relations, and would look forward to senior officials from both sides meeting in Addis Ababa to work out details of the new arrangements.

Kenya withdrew its troops from a UN mission in South Sudan last year after its mission commander was withdrawn without consultation with the Kenyan leadership.

President Kenyatta repeated on Sunday that such an affront to Kenyan dignity was unwelcome because it conveyed the message that Kenya's efforts in keeping the region secure went unrecognised.

The meeting held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, came after the new UN chief held a closed door meeting with all African Heads of State and Government attending the 28th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly.