Gen Yasir Alatta, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) has ordered President William Ruto of Kenya to quit the mediation talks because he is allegedly playing a mercenary role.
Gen Yasir Alatta accused President Ruto, of “being a mercenary for another country”—which he did not name. The General made the accusation on Sunday while addressing the media.
While inspecting a special Engineering Division in Khartoum, claimed that the unnamed country that supports Ruto is also a major backer of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Since the June 15 IGAD summit in Addis Ababa, has consistently rejected Kenyan Leadership accusing President Ruto of bias, ostentibly due to past business links with Lt.Gen. Daglo.
However, on July 15, President Ruto is said to have spoken to the Sudan Junta Leader, Lt.Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan by phone to persuade him to cooperate with the IGAD quartet which Ruto leads, and consider ceasfire that would allow humanitarian agencies to reach the more than 2.5 million people that have been displaced and trapped internally by the conflict that started on April 15.
Lt.Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan told President Ruto that he is ready to halt hositilities on condition that the RSF soldiers are removed from the capital Khartoum.
Ruto also proposed parallel mediation talks under the Jeddah Imitative fronted by the US and SAaudi Arabia should work hand in hand with IGAD to avoid duplicity.