In retaliation for Kenyan President William Ruto's hosting of talks with paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, Sudan withdrew its ambassador from Nairobi on Thursday, according to the country's acting foreign minister.
On his first trip overseas since the conflict began in April, Daglo, whose Rapid Support Forces are engaged in combat with the regular army under the command of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been touring African capitals.
To the ire of Burhan, whose administration has recently lost ground to the paramilitaries and is keen to deny them international legitimacy, he has already visited Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya. Currently, he is in South Africa.
Sudan's acting foreign minister, Ali al-Sadiq, said in a statement by the official SUNA news agency that the ambassador was called back "for consultations in protest of the official reception organized by the Kenyan government for the leader of the rebel militia."
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He declared that "all possibilities for the outcome of Sudan's relations with Kenya" would be covered in those consultations.
For months, there has been tension between Burhan and the Kenyan government as Nairobi tries to maintain contact with Daglo to mediate the dispute.
In a January 1 address, the army chief warned that African governments hosting visits by "these killers" were "making themselves a partner in the murder of the Sudanese people."
Held talks with the RSF Leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, State House, Nairobi. pic.twitter.com/2FpmtlMPg2
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) January 3, 2024
A conservative estimate from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project puts the number of deaths from the war at over 12,190. UN figures show that more than seven million people have fled their homes.
The intense hostility between the opposing generals has essentially ended mediation attempts.
Burhan's government continues to issue statements identifying itself as the Sudanese government. Still, Daglo's Rapid Support Forces now control most of the central state of Al-Jazira, Sudan's pre-war breadbasket, and nearly all of Darfur.
