The government has been issued a strong set of demands by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) as controversy surrounding Kenya’s association with Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rages on.
In a strong-worded statement, the ICJ raised concerns about Kenya’s alleged support of the RSF, while urging the government to uphold its international obligations under the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), and international human rights law.
The international body particularly took aim at Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi’s recent statement about the government hosting RSF officials in Kenya, urging President Ruto to denounce the statement which they claimed was a clear show of partiality in the ongoing Sudan conflict.
“We urgently call on the Kenyan government to immediately recall the statement issued by the Prime Cabinet Secretary confirming its support for the RSF and issue an unequivocal apology to the people of Sudan," the ICJ said in one of their demands.
On February 19, Mudavadi issued a statement on February 19, 2025, defending Kenya's decision to host the RSF meeting, emphasizing that Kenya's actions ‘aligned with its longstanding role in facilitating peace negotiations and providing neutral platforms for conflict resolution’.
The Prime CS referenced the Machakos Protocol of 2002, a peace agreement concluded in Kenya that ended Sudan's second civil war, to reiterate the government’s commitment to impartiality and conflict resolution.
However, what ensued was a wave of criticism, with reports suggesting that Sudan's Government was ready to impose a series of sanctions on Kenya as a result of the decision.
The ICJ was no different, as the body claimed the government’s actions posed a potential risk to peacekeeping efforts. “The Kenyan government’s actions undermine international efforts—including those by civil society organizations—to promote peace, accountability, and justice. It also endangers Sudanese refugees in Kenya, as their tormentors, the RSF, are on the verge of forming an illegal government,” ICJ added.
Kenya’s decision to host the RSF in Nairobi came under even greater scrutiny after RSF officials formally signed a charter in the city to establish a parallel government.
The charter, signed on Saturday, paves the way for the RSF to govern rebel-held areas advocating for a secular state and a unified national army.
In the same statement, the ICJ also urged the government to refrain from engaging in further peacekeeping efforts in the Sudan conflict, as the body accused the government of failing to uphold impartiality.
Further, in response to the signed charter, the body called on the AU Peace and Security Council to condemn ‘any attempt by the warring parties to unilaterally declare a government in exile, which will undercut efforts to secure an inclusive peace agreement that will address Sudan’s multiple conflicts’.
