Leaked details of a phone call between head of state President William Ruto and the United States of America have surfaced, just days after a Sudanese General dared him to intervene in a conflict.
The conversation reportedly took place earlier today with United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
During the call, President Ruto and Antony Blinken discussed strategies for bringing an end to the ongoing Sudan conflict and advancing the East African Community-led talks aimed at resolving the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Spoke today with President William Ruto of Kenya to advance shared priorities, including ending the conflict in Sudan and advancing East African Community-led talks on eastern DRC,” wrote Antony Blinken.
The phone call comes in the wake of a challenge thrown at Ruto by the Sudanese General to intervene in the Sudan conflict using the Kenya Army, urging him to step away from the East African Community Force.
General Yasir Alatta, the Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces, accused President Ruto of being a “mercenary for another country,” though the country in question was not named. It’s worth noting that Nairobi has denied taking any sides in the conflict.
In response to the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development’s proposal for an East African standby force to protect civilians and aid workers, Khartoum expressed opposition and insisted that any offers made by Igad would only be considered if President Ruto was replaced as the chairman of the quartet comprising the leaders of Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Djibouti.
Gen Alatta, inspecting a special Engineering Division in Khartoum, also alleged that the unnamed country supporting President Ruto is a significant backer of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
