Stop the war, Ruto pleads with fighters in Sudan

By Peter Ochieng

President William Ruto is urging fighters in Sudan to end the war, so as to give dialogue a chance.

Fighting has been going on in the Capital Khartoum and other parts of Sudan since April, 2023, when conflict ensued between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

Ruto said the parties involved in the war must agree to establish a humanitarian zone, for humanitarian aid to reach victims.

He spoke on Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the IGAD Quartet Heads of State and Government meeting that focussed on the Sudan conflict.

Ruto chairs the IGAD Quartet. He termed the situation in Sudan as dire with data indicating that over 2.9 million people have been displaced, since April.

“The intensity and scale of the humanitarian crisis is a harrowing calamity,” he said.

“This alarming state of affairs calls for a bold and all-inclusive peace dialogue.”

The president said stopping the war will prevent loss of lives, ease access to public services and facilitate a settlement of the conflict.

“This will lay the foundation for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Sudan.”

Present in the meeting were Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed, IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu, UN Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, Djibouti Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, and representatives from South Sudan and rival factions.

More than 2,000 people have been killed in Sudan, since the war erupted.