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| President William Ruto with RDF Leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo |
Kenya’s decision to host the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allied militias in Nairobi is a betrayal of justice, peace and regional stability.
By giving a platform to a group responsible for mass atrocities in Sudan, Kenya is jeopardizing peace efforts and aligning itself with forces accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The RSF gathered in Nairobi on Tuesday, February 18 to form a parallel government, violating Sudan’s sovereignty and undermining the African Union’s (AU) efforts to bring peace to the country. This act contradicts Kenya’s commitments to regional stability and international justice.
A recent UN report confirmed that the RSF and its allied militias committed war crimes, including indecent assault, sexual slavery, pillage, forced displacement and the recruitment of child soldiers.
The RSF's armed campaign against non-Arab groups, in particular the Masalit community in West Darfur, was marked by massacres, torture and systematic sexual violence.
Kenya’s unilateral move also contradicts the African Union’s peace efforts. Just four days before the RSF’s Nairobi meeting, the AU Peace and Security Council condemned all external interference in Sudan’s conflict and called for inclusive political dialogue.
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| President William Ruto |
By giving the RSF a platform, Kenya directly undermined this initiative, disregarding the AU High-Level Panel and the AU Peace and Security Council’s Expanded Mechanism, which sought a peaceful resolution involving all key parties.
This betrayal of Pan-Africanism weakens the continent’s ability to resolve conflicts through diplomacy rather than violence.
While the RSF convened in Nairobi, its forces were reportedly committing genocide in Sudan. In a three-day assault on Southern White Nile State, they murdered over 433 civilians, among them women and children, and attacked internally displaced persons camps.
Hosting RSF leaders at a time like this is morally and legally questionable. In addition, the move endangers Sudanese refugees in Kenya, the majority of whom fled RSF violence.
Kenya has a choice to make: stand with the Sudanese people in their fight for peace and accountability, or stand with war criminals. By hosting the RSF, it has chosen the wrong side of history.
However, there is still time to correct this course—but only if Kenya immediately cuts its ties to the RSF and recommits to genuine peace efforts in Sudan.
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