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In an interview with FRANCE 24 on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, Kenya President William Ruto said the multinational financial architecture needed to be “fixed”. He also reacted to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, saying “there are already signs of genocide”. More than 2,000 people have been killed there fighting broke out on April 15.
“We pay, especially those of us from the Global South and on the African continent, up to eight times more for the same resources, because of something called risk,” Kenya’s Ruto said. Calling the current system “broken”, “rigged” and “unfair”, Ruto said the multinational financial architecture needed to be “fixed”. He also insisted on the importance of clarifying climate financing in order to deal with poverty and the “existential threat” of climate change.
Ruto narrowly won re-election in August 2022, but his opponent Raila Odinga claims to have won instead, and has since been organising protests. Ruto said: “I don’t have a problem with Raila Odinga, we are competitors. I have no problem with Raila Odinga organising protests (…) it’s part of democracy.”
Turning to the deadly conflict in Sudan, he said: “There are already signs of genocide. What is going on in Sudan is unacceptable. Military power is being used by both parties to destroy the country and to kill civilians. The war is senseless, the war is not legitimate in any way.”
Ruto said he had a regional meeting about the situation in Sudan two weeks ago in a bid to stop the war. But he added: “The issue will not be resolved until we get General al-Burhan, General Hemedti, political leaders and civil society – women’s groups and youth groups – to the table.” He insisted that this was “feasible”.
