Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as "Hemetti", the commander of the Rapid Support Forces involved in a conflict with the Sudanese army, arrived in Kenya on Wednesday. His visit marks a new phase in his East African tour, amid intensifying diplomatic efforts to initiate peace negotiations among the Sudanese factions.
Kenyan President William Ruto welcomed the commander of the Rapid Support Forces and praised his commitment to ending the conflict in Sudan through dialogue in a post on "Site X." Ruto added that the ongoing talks led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) should lead to a political settlement that enables lasting peace in the country.
For his part, Dagalo said that his discussions with Ruto focused on the latest developments in Sudan, "exploring the root causes of the war and finding solutions to alleviate the crisis and the suffering of our people." On "Site X," he stated, "I have presented our strategy to stop hostilities and begin negotiations to reach a comprehensive solution."
Over the previous week, Hemetti visited Uganda, Ethiopia, and Djibouti, in his first official foreign travels since the outbreak of the war in Sudan in mid-April of the previous year. This tour coincides with the time when IGAD, currently chaired by Djibouti, is doubling its efforts to get him and the Sudanese army commander, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to negotiate.
Since the outbreak of the war, which has resulted in thousands of deaths, Hemetti and al-Burhan have not met. The conflict has also led to the displacement of more than 7 million people, according to the United Nations.
A meeting between the conflicting parties was scheduled to be held under the auspices of IGAD on December 28th last year in Djibouti, but it was postponed to early January of the current year for "technical reasons." Previous mediation efforts have only led to brief ceasefires, which were not respected.
The conflict has recently expanded to include Al Jazirah state, which had been untouched until then and has become a refuge for half a million Sudanese fleeing the war.
