Do everything to make Sudan talks successful

The first high-level meeting on the Sudan Peace process was held in in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday.

While that is a good step, it is notable that the meeting came almost a month after President William Ruto was picked to chair the Intergovernmental Authority (IGAD) on Development High-Level Delegation for the Peace Process in Sudan. Besides Kenya, the other countries involved in the peace process are Djibouti, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

We do not know why it took that long for the inaugural peace meeting of the quartet to be held, but it cannot escape notice that the situation in Sudan has gone from bad to worse during that period.

The fighting has intensified and spread out of Khartoum, its initial epicentre. So far, more than 3,000 people have been killed and another 6,000 wounded in the conflict. There are also reports of widespread sexual violence.

Further, the UN has warned that the country is on the brink of a full-scale civil war that could destabilise the entire region.

In short, there is no time to waste. All efforts must be made to end the fighting in Sudan.

We understand that the military-led Sovereign Council's has rejected Kenya’s chairmanship of the IGAD committee that has been tasked with resolving the Sudanese crisis, claiming that Kenya is not neutral; that it is biased in favour of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Nairobi has, however, denied the claim and said it wants to meet the warring Sudanese Generals to find a lasting solution to the crisis.

Kenya should prove that by word and deed. It must show the RSF that it has no ulterior motive and that all it wants, just like the suffering Sudanese people and the entire region, is peace to return to Sudan.

But if the RSF is still unconvinced, President Ruto should to step aside and allow another leader spearhead the process. In any case, there are no medals for chairing this process. We believe that Kenya is sincere and all that it wants is an end to the bloodshed in Sudan.