Senator Jim Risch
US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Senator Jim Risch has criticized the Kenyan government for hosting Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RFS) group in Nairobi.
In a statement on Friday, February 21, Risch expressed concern that an ally of the United States was hosting a group that had contributed to the deaths of the people of Sudan.
The US Senator pointed out that Kenya was legitimizing the RSF outfit by hosting its leaders in Nairobi.
“Last year, I led efforts in Congress to recognize RSF-led atrocities in Sudan, which have contributed to over 150k deaths, as genocide. In January, it became US policy.
“Now, Kenya, a US ally, is helping the RSF legitimize their genocidal rule in Sudan under the guise of peacemaking – this is an unthinkable attempt to obscure the truth and will not end the massacre,” the US senator wrote.
His statement comes after Sudan slammed Kenya for allowing RSF to hold a meeting in Nairobi to launch a parallel government.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry in a statement accused Kenya of violating its obligations under international law, the United Nations Charter, the Constitutive Act of the African Union, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by hosting the meeting.
In response, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said Kenya’s decision to host RSF was in line with its wider role in peace negotiations and its commitment to help Sudan find a solution to its ongoing political crisis.
“We note that this is not the first time groups in Sudan have sought solutions to their crisis by leveraging the good offices of neighboring countries. Indeed, in January 2024, parties and stakeholders to the Sudanese conflict met in a neighboring country to chart a way forward on inclusive dialogue and return to civilian rule.
Mudavadi emphasized that Kenya’s involvement was solely to support conflict resolution, pointing to the 2002 Machakos Protocol signed in Kenya.
Also Read: Kenyan Government Responds After Backlash Over RSF Meeting in Nairobi
