It is Time to Silence The Guns, Ruto Tells Sudan Warring Factions

As war in the northern country of the east African region enters day four, Kenya’s head of state president William Ruto has called the two-warring faction in Sudan to silence the guns so that the region can focus on development as time was of essence.

“It is time to silence the guns in our region and continent so that we can focus on the urgent work of enabling our people to pursue opportunities and actualize their aspirations, in peace and tranquillity. Time is of the essence.” he stated.

The President noted that the war in Sudan has led to loss of lives and destruction of property forcing civilians to be displaced. Ruto said the diplomatic community was concerned about how a small issue escalated so fast into a civil war.

“Kenya is deeply alarmed that a misunderstanding over a single outstanding item in the Political Framework Agreement, namely the time frame for integrating the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), has degenerated into violent conflict,” he said.

Ruto said the war that has so far lasted for five days has led to the death of hundreds of people and targeted humanitarian aid and the diplomatic community adding that the situation was getting out of hand.

“We are also deeply concerned that members of the diplomatic community have been targeted and civilians, in general, have been caught in the crossfire. A pattern of systematic violation of established norms and principles of international humanitarian laws is clearly emerging and this situation is evolving into a threat to regional and international peace and security,” Ruto added.

Ruto called on the leadership of the two parties to engage each other to comply with IGAD resolutions on Sunday. This includes an immediate cessation of hostilities, allowing unrestricted access to humanitarian aid and extending full cooperation to the IGAD Heads of States mission when it visits Khartoum.

Ruto also warned the two factions’ failure to adhere they will be liable for crimes against humanity.

Kenya notes that disregard for the resolutions, coupled with the evident lack of commitment to ending the conflict, strongly indicates that attacks on diplomatic installations and personnel, as well as the targeting of hospitals, hotels, and other vital public and social spaces, are deliberate, systematic and tantamount to atrocities against humanity.

Ruto said there is a real danger that the escalation of hostilities in Sudan could implicate external, regional and international actors and degenerate into a security and humanitarian crisis on a disastrous scale.

Kenya’s head of state called for a quick resolution from the international community and agencies.

“It is therefore critical for an international coalition of all the actors that have been involved in supporting the restoration of civilian rule in Sudan to act with urgency. The United Nations, Africa Union, IGAD and QUAD for Sudan must lead a process that extends beyond mere cessation of hostilities towards restoration of sustainable peace, security and stability.” He stated.