A Report Before the Security Council Tomorrow on Kenya’s Support of the RSF

New York – Mohammed Osman Adam

A summary on the United Nations Security Council website addressing the situation in Sudan, published on Wednesday, suggested that the Kenyan government’s motivation for hosting the rebel-supporting militia and its followers around the signing of a political charter as a prelude to forming a parallel government might be linked to securing a $1.5 billion loan from a Gulf state. This hints at further evidence of external interference in the current crisis in Sudan.
The pre-meeting report for the session scheduled for Thursday stated that the Sudanese government criticized Kenya for hosting a meeting of the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia on February 18 and the subsequent signing ceremony on February 22. The report added, “Critics have pointed out that a $1.5 billion loan agreement may have influenced the Kenyan government’s decision to provide a venue for the RSF it is expected to receive from the United Arab Emirates, which has reportedly provided military support to the RSF during the conflict.”
The pre-session report clarified that the Council is expected to receive a periodic briefing on the situation in Sudan, marking 120 days since the adoption of Resolution 2715 on December 1, 2023, followed by closed consultations.
According to the report, during the open session, the Council will hear a briefing from Edem Wosornu, Director of the Operations and Advocacy Division at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in the open chamber. Meanwhile, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, will provide a briefing during the consultations.
The report stated that Wosornu will present an overview of the humanitarian situation in Sudan. Some members are expected to express interest in learning more about OCHA’s recent engagements with conflict parties, including efforts to open humanitarian access routes and establish humanitarian centres.
“In this regard, Wosornu and Council members will welcome the Sudanese government’s decision on February 17 to allow aid to flow through the Adré crossing on the Chad-Sudan border for an additional three months. In a February 18 post on platform X, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher described the crossing as a ‘lifeline for millions of people.'”
The briefing summary indicated that Wosornu will provide an overview of the country’s latest developments. Since launching an offensive in late September 2024, the Sudanese Armed Forces have made progress in retaking strategic positions in Khartoum and surrounding areas from the RSF. In recent days, the Sudanese Armed Forces broke the RSF’s siege of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State and a key commercial and transportation hub. They recaptured El Qatina, located about 73 kilometres south of Khartoum.
During the closed consultations, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra will provide Council members with a summary of efforts to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict. In this context, he may elaborate on his recent interactions with the Sudanese Armed Forces, the RSF militia, and key regional actors.
The pre-meeting summary noted that between December 22 and 24, 2024, Lamamra met with senior Sudanese officials in Port Sudan, including the Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to discuss UN-led peace efforts. During his visit, he also engaged with senior diplomats from various countries to discuss regional and international support for the peace process. On December 25, 2024, Lamamra travelled to Addis Ababa, where he met with a delegation from the RSF militia. Discussions focused on implementing recommendations for protecting civilians in Sudan, as outlined in the Secretary-General’s October 21, 2024 report. Among other topics, Lamamra may also discuss the implications of the RSF’s decision to establish a parallel government in territories under its control in Sudan, based on a political charter it signed in Nairobi on February 22 with affiliated armed groups and other political entities.
The UN website stated that during tomorrow’s meeting, “some Council members are likely to echo the concerns of Secretary-General António Guterres regarding this issue, as outlined in a February 24 statement by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric. In the statement, Guterres expressed deep concern about the political charter, emphasizing that it represents ‘an additional escalation of the conflict, which risks deepening the fragmentation of the country and further entrenching the crisis.'”
He also affirmed that preserving Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity “remains key to a sustainable resolution of the conflict and long-term stability for the country and the wider region.”

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=4407