Kenyan President William Ruto to lead peace talks in Sudan

According to the East African Newspaper, the decision was made on Monday following the Ordinary Summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional organisation that established a group of four nations to work towards Sudanese peace.

The newspaper further reported that the quartet is made up of South Sudan, Kenya, and Djibouti, three nations who have previously tried unsuccessfully to hold direct talks with the warring parties in Sudan.

But because Djibouti will now preside over the IGAD Summit, the new four nations—South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia—will be led by Kenya.

Kenyan President William Ruto stated at a press conference in Djibouti, where the Summit convened on Monday that, "We have taken the decision that the quartet of Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia, will meet face-to-face with General Al-Burhan and General Daglo, in the next ten days, so that we can speak to them directly on behalf of Igad, with a view to stopping the war that is raging."

He added: “Kenya pledges to have face-to-face talks with the two generals of Sudan in order to find a long-term solution to the problem.”

The Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces are led by opposing generals Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and Mohamed Daglo Hemedti.

Since April 15, their conflict has resulted in more than 1200 fatalities, 800,000 displaced people, and significant property damage. Seven cease-fire agreements between the parties have been breached within hours of their declaration.