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Germany's Baerbock visits Kenya with Sudan conflict in focus

January 25, 2024

Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, has arrived in Kenya after an unplanned stop in Saudi Arabia. She is pushing for renewed efforts to solve the conflict in Sudan.

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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock sitting with Kenyan President William Ruto at a lodge in Kenya
The conflict in Sudan was the main focus of Baerbock's East Africa tripImage: Michael Kappeler/dpa/picture alliance

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was in Kenya on Thursday where she held talks with President William Ruto.

Baerbock's visit to East Africa was expected to focus on the ongoing conflict in Sudan, where military chief and de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been fighting his former deputy who leads the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.

The trip, however, got off to a rockystart with the foreign minister having to make an unwanted stop in Saudi Arabia and canceling a planned stopover in Djibouti after Eritrea refused to grant overflight permission at short notice.

Push for talks in Sudan

Before setting off, Baerbock had called for renewed  efforts to find a negotiated solution to the fighting in Sudan.

She also highlighted the important role to be played by regional states, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

As well as Djibouti and Kenya, IGAD includes Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda.

The organization has been seeking direct talks that could lead to a cease-fire in Sudan.

According to figures from the UN, some 7.5 million have fled their homes since fighting broke out in 2023.

Hunger catastrophe looms in Sudan's 'forgotten war': UN

ab/msh (dpa, AFP)