Kenya’s President William Ruto faces mounting condemnation over his government’s dealings with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Darfur. As international outrage grows, Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of violating the Genocide Convention by supporting the RSF, a group recently hosted in Nairobi under Ruto’s administration.
On Thursday, Sudan’s acting justice minister, Muawia Osman, addressed the ICJ in The Hague, stating: “A genocide is being committed against the Masalit in western Sudan.” He alleged that the RSF, responsible for these atrocities, operates with the support of the United Arab Emirates.
Kenya, however, has not remained neutral. In a move criticized by Sudanese officials as reckless, Ruto’s administration hosted RSF leaders in Nairobi in February 2025 to discuss forming a “Government of Peace and Unity.” Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the meeting, accusing Kenya of legitimizing a group engaged in genocide and destabilizing Sudan. Sudanese officials argue that such talks violate international law and embolden perpetrators of mass atrocities.
These concerns resonate beyond Africa. U.S. Senator Jim Risch expressed alarm that Kenya’s hosting of RSF leaders lends unwarranted credibility to a faction accused of war crimes. He warned that such “peacemaking” efforts must not obscure the group’s alleged genocidal actions.
President Ruto has denied any involvement in harbouring RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, and dismissed allegations of supporting the RSF as “false.” He insists that Kenya seeks only to alleviate the humanitarian crisis affecting millions of Sudanese civilians. Yet these denials seem unconvincing given Kenya’s public engagement with RSF figures.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s case against the UAE progresses. Filed last month, it alleges that Emirati arms and logistical support have fueled the genocide. The UAE rejects these claims as “baseless and politically driven,” asserting that it supports neither side in Sudan’s conflict. Yet Sudan seeks emergency measures from the ICJ to halt any UAE actions contributing to the atrocities.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been ravaged by a power struggle between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the Sudanese Armed Forces and Hemeti’s RSF. The war has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe, with millions displaced and countless civilians killed, raped, or tortured.
