IN a video released on Monday, a Sudanese general expressed vehement opposition to a Kenyan-led peacekeeping proposal aimed at ending the more than 100-day war in Sudan. The general’s threatening language drew sharp criticism from Kenyan authorities.
The Sudanese army, locked in a conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has received multiple international mediation offers, but none have effectively halted the fighting that erupted on April 15.
Earlier this month, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African regional bloc of which Kenya is a member, proposed an initiative that involved deploying peacekeepers to the capital, Khartoum.
However, the Sudanese army has consistently rejected the Kenyan-led initiative, accusing Kenya, a regional power, of supporting the RSF. It views any foreign peacekeepers as enemy forces.
Sudanese General Yassir al-Atta made threatening statements to troops, declaring, ‘Leave the East African forces where they are. Bring the Kenyan army … I swear to God, not one of them would make it back.’
General al-Atta further accused Kenya of being influenced by a third country, without providing further details.
Kenya’s foreign affairs principal secretary, Korir Sing’Oei, strongly responded to the accusations, dismissing them as unworthy of comment. He asserted that Kenya remained neutral in the conflict.
Sing’Oei emphasised that durable peace could only be achieved through the inclusion of civilian actors in the mediation process and the pursuit of accountability for atrocities.
Despite the efforts to find a resolution, the fighting in Khartoum State persists. A neighbourhood committee in Ombada reported at least 15 fatalities from strikes in Omdurman on Monday. In the Kalakla area in southern Khartoum, local committees reported RSF forces besieging the region.
The rejection of the peacekeeping proposal, the ongoing conflict, and the threat-laden video highlight the challenges faced in achieving a lasting peace in Sudan.
