President William Ruto has welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer to intervene in the Sudan conflict, which has caused a severe humanitarian crisis, following concerns that Kenya was taking sides in the war.
Speaking during a joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at State House, Nairobi, on Monday, Ruto drew parallels between Malaysia’s role in peace efforts in Eastern Asia and Kenya’s involvement in humanitarian initiatives in the Eastern African region, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.
“We also express support for America and President Trump’s intervention in the Sudan crisis, which has now escalated into a very serious humanitarian catastrophe,” Ruto said.
The development follows statements from U.S. officials confirming diplomatic engagement with Sudan. On Friday last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on joint efforts to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan.
This followed Trump's pledge to address the conflict in Sudan in response to a request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He announced his intention to intervene twice, once at the Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, DC, and again on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Earlier this year, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Jim Risch accused the Kenyan government of enabling genocide in the increasing fallout over Nairobi’s decision to grant Rapid Support Forces (RSF) access to create a parallel government in Kenya.
However, months later, Ruto dismissed the claims linking him to Sudan’s RSF, denying allegations that his administration was involved in arms smuggling or supporting either side in the ongoing conflict that has worsened the humanitarian situation in Sudan.
Speaking during an interview with Al Jazeera in November, Ruto described the accusations as false and politically motivated, insisting that Kenya’s role has remained consistent with promoting peace and dialogue across the region.
“Kenya is a great democracy in the region. We are the only place where people can come and meet freely. The meeting that was there was one of civil society, church groups, women, and leaders having a conversation about their country. Such meetings have been held in other countries, too,” Ruto explained.
He also weighed in on the nature of the conflict, asserting that both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF were equally responsible for the turmoil engulfing the country.
The civil war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has pitted the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the paramilitary RSF for control of key areas, including the capital, Khartoum.
So far, the United Nations has recorded at least 3,384 civilian deaths between January and June 2025, putting the country on track to surpass the 4,238 civilian deaths documented in 2024.
