KENYAN President William Ruto strongly condemned the actions of Sudan’s warring generals and called on them to ‘stop the nonsense’ during his address at the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa. Ruto expressed his concern over the generals’ indiscriminate bombing of roads, bridges, hospitals, and airports using military equipment purchased with African funds.
‘We need to tell those generals to stop that nonsense,’ Ruto emphasised, highlighting that military capacity should be utilised against criminals and terrorists, not innocent civilians or infrastructure. He lamented the continent’s inability to effectively intervene in the conflict, attributing it to the African Union’s reliance on external funding for peace and security efforts.
Since April 15, clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Suppo
rt Forces (RSF) paramilitary group have claimed the lives of over 850 civilians and left thousands injured, according to local medics. The disagreement between the army and the RSF, which had been simmering for months, escalated, sparking the violent conflict. The United Nations predicts that more than a million Sudanese may be displaced within the year.
President Ruto stressed the need for African countries to prioritise funding the African Union, whose budget is currently heavily dependent on development partners. He criticised the situation where external funders dictate decision-making processes, quoting the English saying, ‘He who pays the piper calls the tune.’
Ruto also called on industrialised nations to relocate their industries to Africa, citing the continent’s abundant renewable energy sources and vast mineral resources. He proposed that such a move would help reduce carbon emissions and contribute to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. By shifting Western industries to Africa, the reliance on fossil fuels and non-renewable energy for processing minerals shipped to the West would be minimised, resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions.
The Kenyan President’s remarks reflect his strong condemnation of the violence in Sudan and his advocacy for African self-sufficiency in funding and decision-making, as well as the potential for Africa
to lead in the transition to renewable energy and carbon reduction.
