(Nairobi) Kenya will try to organize a “face to face” between rival Sudanese generals to end the conflict which has rocked the country after the failure of several ceasefires, according to the presidency.
Fighting has raged in the northeast African country since mid-April between the army commanded by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, the de facto ruler of Sudan, and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces ( FSR) of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, his deputy who became his rival.
“Kenya is committed to meeting the two Sudanese generals face to face to find a lasting solution to the crisis,” Kenyan President William Ruto said, according to a statement issued by the Kenyan Presidency.
“In the next three weeks, we will begin the process of an inclusive national dialogue,” Mr. Ruto said, adding that a humanitarian corridor would be established in 15 days to facilitate the delivery of aid.
At a summit held in Djibouti on Monday, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) announced that Kenya would chair a quartet comprising Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan to try to resolve the conflict.
According to a draft summit communiqué issued by the Kenyan presidency, the leaders of the quartet will attempt to arrange a “face-to-face meeting” between the two generals “in one of the regional capitals”.
The fighting is mainly in Khartoum and the vast Darfur region of western Sudan, where NGOs report a deteriorating humanitarian situation.
Several truces have been broken, with US and Saudi mediators warning on Saturday that they could halt mediation efforts if a 24-hour ceasefire is not respected.
The United States imposed sanctions on the two rival generals after a failed truce attempt in late May.
A record 25 million people – more than half the population – need assistance and protection, according to the United Nations.