APA – Kigali (Rwanda) – Kenyan President William Ruto has urged Sudan’s warring factions to declare an unconditional ceasefire and prevent unnecessary deaths.
Ruto said in a statement seen by APA Tuesday that Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces must also agree to establish a humanitarian zone.
He added that the move will stop the loss of lives, ease access to public services and facilitate a settlement of the conflict.
President Ruto made the remarks while chairing the IGAD Quartet Group convened in Addis Ababa earlier this week.
Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) previously signed several cessation of hostilities agreements as part of the Jeddah process mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia, however, the truces were not upheld.
IGAD group says it is committed to taking concrete steps to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the conflict-affected Sudanese population, given the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country.
The meeting also decided to request the convening of the East Africa Standby Force (EASF) summit to explore the potential deployment of EASF for civilian protection and ensuring humanitarian access.
The absence of monitoring forces on the ground was considered one of the primary reasons for the failure of the Jeddah process to halt the fighting in Sudan.
The quartet welcomed the upcoming meeting of Sudan’s neighbouring states, scheduled for July 13 in Cairo, recognizing it as a supportive initiative to achieve the shared objectives of the IGAD Quartet for peace and stability in the Republic of Sudan.
Furthermore, the IGAD leaders condemned the widespread and grave human rights violations. They committed to collaborating closely with the international community to establish a robust monitoring and accountability mechanism to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The meeting further resolved “to mobilize and concentrate the efforts of all stakeholders towards delivering a face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the warring parties”.
CU/abj/APA