Kenyan President, Sudan’s RSF Leader Agree to Support Jeddah Platform

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (AFP)
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (AFP)
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Kenyan President, Sudan’s RSF Leader Agree to Support Jeddah Platform

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (AFP)
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (AFP)

Kenyan President William Ruto has agreed with the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), to support the Jeddah peace process, which is facilitated by Saudi Arabia and the United States, with the participation of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Development Organization (IGAD), with the aim to reach a solution to the conflict in Sudan.

In a statement on X, Hemedti said Friday that he discussed with Ruto during a phone conversation the situation in Sudan.

The two sides stressed the importance of the role played by IGAD, the joint and continuous coordination, and the need to deploy more efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.

The RSF commander thanked Ruto for his continued support for the Sudanese people and for the stability of Sudan and the region.

Kenya chairs the IGAD quartet that is concerned with resolving the crisis in Sudan. The quartet also includes South Sudan, Uganda and Djibouti, the country hosting the organization’s headquarters.

Two weeks ago, the chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, made a visit to Kenya, which eased tension and estrangement between the two countries, following the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ accusations of the Kenyan leadership of bias towards the RSF and providing safe havens for its leadership.

Al-Burhan and Ruto agreed on the progress achieved in the Jeddah platform, stressing the need to accelerate the negotiating process to reach a ceasefire and end the hostilities. The two sides also approved the holding of an emergency summit of IGAD leaders, as part of efforts to achieve a ceasefire, and to establish a framework for a comprehensive Sudanese dialogue.



Roadside Bomb Wounds Four in Iraq's Kirkuk

Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)
Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)
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Roadside Bomb Wounds Four in Iraq's Kirkuk

Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)
Security forces in Iraq. (AFP file photo)

A roadside bomb wounded four people in the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk on Saturday, police sources said.
The bomb targeted a commercial district in the city center. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, according to Reuters.
Earlier in the week, four Iraqi soldiers were killed and three others injured in an ambush on an army convoy southwest of Kirkuk, which ISIS militants claimed responsibility for.
Despite the group's defeat in 2017, remnants continue to conduct hit-and-run attacks against government forces.