NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday offered to host a process of mediation between warring sides in Sudan to help restore peace in the country.

"We make this offer in the spirit of brotherhood, peace and solidarity as an acceptable neutral venue and also as an engaged stakeholder well-seized with the challenges facing our region," Ruto said in a statement.

He said that a peacefully negotiated solution to the conflict in Sudan is within reach and that Kenya stands ready to make its contribution.

He also appreciated the gesture by the parties to the Political Framework Agreement to cease hostilities in response to the call by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) heads of states and government summit on April 16, and subsequently the African Union's emergency ministerial meeting on the situation in Sudan held in Addis Ababa on April 20.

"We regard the cessation of hostilities as a welcome signal of goodwill, commitment to arrest the descent into conflict, insecurity, instability and humanitarian crisis, and pursue peaceful resolution of the outstanding items in the framework agreement," Ruto said.

President Ruto invited the parties to take full advantage of the opportunity for Kenya to mediate the peace process and urged IGAD, AU, and the UN to mobilize an effective international coalition to support a comprehensive peacemaking agenda for Sudan.

At least 413 people have died and more than 3,500 injured since the fighting erupted last Saturday between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum and its surroundings.

The RSF accused the army of attacking its forces in the south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons while the military claimed that the paramilitary force was “spreading lies” and labeled it a “rebel” group.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in what political forces called a "coup."