Mélanie Joly in Kenya to help inform Canada’s response to the crisis in Sudan

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is in Kenya for the next few days to help inform Canada’s response to the crisis in Sudan.

She is set to meet with people evacuated from the East African country, including diplomatic staff who worked there until a shocking outbreak of violence earlier this month.

Joly will also meet with humanitarian groups to get a sense of the needs of people in Sudan, as well as those who have fled to neighbouring countries.

She also plans to meet with former Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, the country’s only civilian leader in recent decades, who was deposed in a 2021 coup.

Kenya has been a leading voice in trying to find a mediated solution to the conflict, and it hosts the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a group focused on peace and prosperity in East African countries.

Joly’s office says she also hopes to learn more from Kenya as a major player on the continent.

“Kenya has played a key leadership role throughout this crisis — in responding to humanitarian needs generated by the conflict in Sudan and in helping lead the efforts towards a peaceful solution,” Joly said in an emailed statement Saturday.

“Canada is here to support Kenya and regional actors tackle this crisis. We will take concrete steps to help regional actors in their mediation efforts and respond to humanitarian needs.”

Sudan’s armed forces and its paramilitary were set to merge, but negotiations broke down last month and created widespread conflict that has killed hundreds of civilians. Analysts say neither faction has broad support of the population.

Canada’s embassy in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, was relocated to Nairobi, Kenya, when the violence erupted.

Joly’s office said the minister’s trip is similar to her visit to Poland shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to signify that Ottawa sees a role in resolving crises beyond Europe.

During her visit to Kenya, Minister Joly will meet with her counterpart, Dr. Alfred N. Mutua. She will also meet with the Kenyan cabinet secretary for defence.

Canada is set to release an Africa strategy this year, after Ottawa delayed the proposal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2023.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press