Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said that there is an urgent need to speed up action to end the conflict in Sudan, which has lasted for over a year.
Mudavadi termed the cost of violence and the loss of opportunities for Sudan, particularly for children, as unacceptable.
In the spirit of “African Solutions to African Problems”, he said it is important that both Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union be involved in any international processes seeking to address the situation in Sudan.
“We are all aware of the ever-rising numbers that put the dire situation into context for us. It is important to remember that each of the eight million people displaced, the 11 million people in need of medical aid and the 18 million people facing food insecurity, represents an individual story of suffering and struggle that could and should have been avoided,” Mudavadi said.
The PCS, who is also the Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary, made the remarks in Paris, France during the Ministerial meeting for advancing the Sudan Peace initiatives.
“In honour of every one of these individual lives, and with respect to the dignity and worth of the human person, it is imperative that we act now,” Mudavadi affirmed.
As a regional neighbor of Sudan, Mudavadi said Kenya has been steadfast in its commitment to shared goals on regional peace and security, founded in the spirit of good neighborliness and mutual respect.
He, however, said the conflict in Sudan, represents an existential threat to regional peace and stability for Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa.
As expressed by the Heads of State of the IGAD Quartet, he said they continue to call upon the warring parties to immediately halt all hostilities and reiterate that there is no military solution to the conflict in Sudan.
IGAD recently designated Lawrence Korbandy of South Sudan as the organisation’s Special Envoy for Sudan.
He said IGAD is optimistic that the Special Envoy and African Union’s (AU’s) High-Level Panel on the Resolution of the Conflict in Sudan will both play an important role towards ensuring regional inclusion in, and ownership of, the peace initiatives on Sudan.
“As we begin our deliberations here today, I urge that each one of us bear in mind our solemn duty to the people of Sudan. We all have a responsibility to abide by that uniting determination to save both present and succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” said the CS.
Adding: “Our presence here today is evidence of the political will that exists towards reaching a solution to the conflict, both within Sudan itself and among regional and international partners. I wish to thank the Sudanese representatives here present, as well as Minister SÉJOURNÉ, Minister BAERBOCK, and High Representative BORRELL for organizing and co-chairing this important meeting.”
He reiterated Kenya’s three key principles of peace initiatives on Sudan namely inclusion, commitment, and good faith saying that these values, expressed in the draft Declaration of Principles, be the bedrock of not just words in the meeting but also action for the Sudanese.
Towards achieving sustainable peace in Sudan, he also appealed for structured and all-inclusive consultations with the warring parties as well as civilian actors.
