Sudan's military-led government has recalled its ambassador from Kenya, in protest at Nairobi's hosting of meetings aimed at forming a rival Sudanese government backed by the Rapid Support Forces.
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced via the state-run Sudan News Agency (SUNA) that the Sudanese authorities recalled their ambassador from Kenya on Thursday.
The diplomatic row began when the Founding Alliance for Sudan was created in the Kenyan capital on Tuesday. This coalition is built around General Hemedti’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and aims to establish a parallel government to the one in Port Sudan, which is led by the Sudanese army.
The move came despite Hemedti being under United States sanctions, as he and his soldiers are accused of committing genocide in Darfur.
In Kenya, members of the political sphere and civil society have struggled to understand how Kenyan President William Ruto could have allowed such an event to take place in Nairobi.
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Former vice-president Rigathi Gachagua posted on social media: "We are welcoming warlords. We are making headlines for discovering a new way to embarrass the nation." And lawyer and activist Willis Evans Otieno wrote: "Kenya cannot afford to become a breeding ground for foreign insurgencies."
'Hostile move'
In a statement, Sudan's foreign ministry accused Ruto of adopting a "disgraceful position by embracing and encouraging a conspiracy" that it says violates Sudan's sovereignty.
The ministry summoned its envoy "for consultations in protest against Kenya hosting the meetings of the rebel militia and its allies in another hostile move against Sudan," SUNA reported on Thursday.
The paramilitary RSF, which has been at war with the army in Sudan for nearly two years, said at the event in Nairobi this week that they would sign a founding charter that would lead to the formation of a "peace and unity government".
A source close to the organisers of the RSF meeting told news agencies that the signing of the charter, originally planned for Tuesday, had been postponed until the weekend.
A country torn in two
The war between the army and the RSF broke out in April 2023 and has killed tens of thousands of people, and uprooted more than 12 million.
It has torn the country in two, with the army in control of the north and east, while the RSF holds nearly all of the west and large areas of the south.
In a series of offensives this year, the army has retaken parts of greater Khartoum as well as the Al Jazirah state to its south.
The RSF's preparations to form a rival government in territories it controls come as it seeks to consolidate its hold on the Darfur region of western Sudan, where only the city of Al-Fashir and its environs are held by the army.
A spokesman for United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that the move could "increase the fragmentation of the country and risk making this crisis even worse".
On Thursday, the Arab League condemned "any steps that would undermine the unity of Sudan or expose it to division or fragmentation".
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'Commercial interests'
The Kenyan foreign ministry defended its hosting of the RSF event, saying this was "compatible with Kenya's role in peace negotiations".
The Sudanese military-led government responded by accusing President Ruto of acting on "his commercial and personal interests with the militia's regional sponsors" – alluding to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has been widely accused of arming the RSF, despite its repeated denials.
Last month, Kenya and the UAE signed an economic agreement, which Ruto's office hailed as "a historic milestone" and "the first agreement of its kind".
In December 2024, the UAE became the largest backer of new business projects in Africa, raising concerns about human rights and environmental protection.
The positioning of Kenya's officials continues to cause concern. Martin Mavenjina of the Kenya Human Rights Commission said: "Nairobi has not only become a haven for persona non grata but also the capital of transnational oppression."
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The abduction of foreign political opponents appears to be on the rise in Kenya. In November, Uganda's opposition figure Kizza Besigye was kidnapped in Nairobi and reappeared a few days later before a military court in his home country.
Otsieno Namwaya of Human Rights Watch questioned the country's future standing on the regional and international stage, as he believes: "The Kenyan government no longer respects any international law."
(with newswires)
