United States Secretary Antony J. Blinken on Saturday, July 29 lauded President William Ruto for his intervention in addressing regional conflicts including the ongoing war in Sudan and the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The phone call comes a week after one of the warring parties in Sudan accused Kenya of meddling in their internal affairs.
"Spoke today with President William Ruto of Kenya to advance shared priorities, including ending the conflict in Sudan and advancing East African Community-led talks on eastern DRC," Blinken noted in a statement.
Blinken also urged Ruto to initiate peaceful and constructive dialogue to resolve political differences with the opposition.
Meanwhile, one of the parties in the Sudanese conflict has rejected Ruto as a mediator, it is therefore not clear the role he is playing in ending the over 100 days war.
The Head of State was appointed as a lead negotiator by Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Summit held on June 12 but was rejected and instead, the Sudanese military asked for South Sudanese President Salva Kiir.
Ruto's security advisor Monica Juma recently told American publisher The National that urgent intervention was needed to find a solution in the Horn of Africa country because the matter could escalate and further destabilise the region.
Regional Crisis
On Saturday, July 29, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua announced plans of sending 1,000 police officers to Haiti in a bid to help the Caribbean country to train its law enforcement and prevent it from being overrun by gangs.
"Kenya stands with persons of African descent across the world, including those in the Caribbean, and aligns with the African Union's diaspora policy and our own commitment to Pan Africanism, and in this case to “reclaiming of the Atlantic crossing"," Mutua stated.
Mutua added that Kenya was focused on restoring peace and stability in Sudan and DRC.
"From a neutral position, we continue engaging with stakeholders from across the spectrum and will continue to urge demonstration of strong solidarity with the people of Sudan," the CS stated on Sudan.
On DRC, Mutua detailed that there have been tremendous steps made by the DRC government to ensure peace and stability.
He added that Kenya was fully supportive of the effort to align both the Nairobi and Luanda processes in order to find durable solutions to the current challenge and bring relief to the people of the region.
