Ruto further stated that just like the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East has been equally devastating.
President William Ruto of Kenya has lambasted President Vladimir Putin of Russia, saying that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not only unlawful and unjust but an outright violation of the fundamental principles of international law.
President Ruto, who said this during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine held at Bürgenstock, Switzerland, said that it is time for parties to the war to demonstrate good faith, abandon intransigent attitudes and soften their positions for lasting peace to be realised.
He noted that 79 years after the international community established a multilateral institutional framework to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, “the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been a horrifying spectacle of carnage and devastation, which has left 500,000 people dead, and 7.1 million displaced in its wake.”
“Across the world, people and nations are enduring the negative consequences of disrupted supply chains,” he said.
“Kenya's position has been clear and unequivocal from the beginning: Russia's aggression against Ukraine is unlawful, unjust and a violation of the fundamental principles of international law which honour the sovereign equality of nations, upholds their territorial integrity and advocates the peaceful resolution of all disagreements.”
Ruto further stated that just like the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East has been equally devastating.
“Likewise, Africa's many long-running and long-forgotten wars continue unabated, wreaking unimaginable devastation on a daily basis.”
The Kenyan President said almost “16 different conflicts are raging on our continent, from the Western Sahel to the Horn of Africa in the East, and from the Lake Chad basin to the Great Lakes region”.
He said, “In Sudan, a senseless war continues to cause death, destruction and hopelessness among people and is also threatening the integrity of that country.
“Regionally, four of the top 10 countries facing acute food insecurity as a result of the conflict are in the Horn of Africa.
“In West Africa, the number of schools closed reached over 13,250, depriving more than 2.5 million children of an education.
“As of June 2023, nearly 7,800 primary schools, attended by 1.4 million children were closed in the Sahel region.”
Cumulatively, millions of lives have been lost, while 40.4 million Africans have been forcibly displaced.
Since 2011, the number of newly displaced people has been rising steadily and, in 2022-23 alone, stood at over 3.2 million people.