AFRICA PEACE SUMMIT: President Ruto To Fly To Egypt After Korea Summit

AFRICA PEACE SUMMIT: President Ruto To Fly To Egypt After Korea Summit

President William Ruto plans to return to Egypt immediately following the summit he is attending in South Korea.

During an interview with the BBC, the Head of State revealed that he will be flying to Cairo to attend a dialogue focused on strategizing how to bring peace to African countries in conflict, including Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Sudan.

During the interview, Ruto expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of attention given to African countries at war.

“It was a candid conversation I had, for example with President Biden, and I was very categorical that it doesn’t look fair that the war in Ukraine is receiving attention, the war in Gaza is receiving attention, while the serious situations in Somalia, DRC and Sudan, are not receiving attention,” the Head of State observed. 

As a result, Ruto stated that (as African leaders), they agreed that there was a need to accelerate peace talks.

The President proposed the use of various forums, including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) initiative and the Jeddah Initiative.

He added: “We have those who are in Nairobi to sign a peace agreement between the various civilian groups. And we agreed that we need to consolidate these groups between us and the American group is going to sit down to map out how this can happen.”

President William Ruto announced that the Egypt trip will allow African leaders to align their strategies and chart a course for resolving conflict on the continent.

“We also agreed that in the DRC we need to see how to jump-start the dialogue process because there can not be a military solution in the DRC. We need engagement between the groups there,” he emphasized. 

The Head of State is currently attending the Korea-Africa Summit in South Korea, which includes 25 African heads of state and government.

Furthermore, up to 48 African countries sent a president, king, prime minister, vice president, or minister to the summit to discuss “The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity.”

On the sidelines of the summit, Ruto secured a Ksh30.8 billion loan from the Korea Exim Bank for the development of the Konza Digital Media City, marking a watershed moment in Kenya’s collaboration with South Korea.

The funding agreement, signed by Korea Exim Bank Executive Director and Board Member Hwang Kiyeon and Dr. Abraham Korir, Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs in Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, is worth $238 million (approximately Ksh30.8 billion).

This significant investment aims to turn Konza Technopolis into a cutting-edge hub for the film and creative sectors.

AFRICA PEACE SUMMIT: President Ruto To Fly To Egypt After Korea Summit