Kenya
July was marked by a further widening of fault lines in the region. Amid the ongoing war in Sudan, the month began with the worsening of the diplomatic crisis between Chad and Sudan, with the Sovereign Council led by Al-Burhan deciding to recall its ambassador stationed in N'Djamena. This incident marks a new peak in the diplomatic escalation between the two states, with SAF leaders accusing Chad of supporting General Hemedti's RSF through Emirati financial aid. Back in December, the N'Djamena government had expelled four Sudanese diplomats, while Khartoum responded with a similar measure against three Chadian diplomats. These accusations were also raised before the UN Security Council last March when Sudan's permanent representative, Al-Harith Idris, accused Chad of being the main supply line for the RSF. The accusation against the UAE appears useful to justify the disappointing progress of its own initiatives in Darfur and the western regions of the country, where the RSF has gained the upper hand, but it nevertheless raises the level of instability well beyond the safety threshold.
The diplomatic crisis continues against the backdrop of the largest humanitarian crisis on the planet. For this reason, the United Nations hosted a conference on the protection of civilians in Geneva at the end of the month, an initiative prompted by the UN special envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra. Officially, the summit was solely focused on discussing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country, with the possibility of negotiating localized ceasefires exclusively aimed at allowing humanitarian aid to flow into the country. However, while praising the initiative, the UN Security Council did not hide its hope that these "proximity talks" could still promote a de-escalation in the country. These hopes clash with the stance of both belligerents, who currently show no intention of considering a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Amid boycotts, criticisms, and ultimatums, the UN mediation initiative seems destined to fail, much like the Jeddah platform supported by the US and Saudi Arabia and those attempted by IGAD and the African Union.
Alongside the UN initiative, the month was marked by the tentative resumption of dialogue between Al-Burhan and the United Arab Emirates. Thanks to the mediation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the SAF leader had a phone conversation with UAE President Bin Zayed, almost a year after their last talk. Al-Burhan renewed accusations against the UAE of supporting Hemedti's RSF, while Bin Zayed, as reported, reiterated his support for ceasefire initiatives and rejected the accusations made by the Chairman of the Sovereign Council. This meeting does not change the situation on the ground, but it does mark a reopening of dialogue between Port Sudan and Abu Dhabi, a factor that has become increasingly relevant for the diplomatic resolution of the conflict. At the end of the month, updated data on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country were released. The war in Sudan has generated the world's largest displacement crisis, with over 11 million people forced to leave their homes, and currently, 755,000 people are at risk of famine in the coming months.
Diplomacy is also struggling to take off in the tension between Somalia and Ethiopia. Türkiye has attempted mediation in the crisis over access to the Red Sea waters, personally led by Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan. Despite the first round of meetings (which were kept completely confidential) not yielding tangible results, the opening of a dialogue channel between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa raised hopes for resolving the dispute ahead of new meetings between representatives of the two countries scheduled to take place in Ankara next September. However, the political leaders of the two countries do not seem willing on resolving the crisis. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has invited his Somali counterpart to resolve the dispute through direct talks with Addis Ababa rather than turning to third-party mediators and reiterated that the agreement with Somaliland does not question Somali national unity. These statements were rejected by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, who, speaking at the opening of parliamentary sessions in Mogadishu, stated that "Ethiopia is not ready to resolve the tensions between the two countries through dialogue." Hassan Sheikh declared that, given the current state of affairs, the Turkish mediation initiative cannot have a future, criticizing Addis Ababa for the failure of previous mediation attempts due to the Abiy’s intransigence.
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| Head of state | William Ruto |
| Head of Government | William Ruto (Since 2013, the president coincides with the head of government) |
| Institutional Form | Presidential Republic |
| Capital | Nairobi |
| Legislative Power | Bicameral Parliament (National Assembly, 350 seats – Senate 68 seats) |
| Judicial Power | Supreme Court (7 judges) |
| Ambassador to Italy | Frederick Lusambili Matwan'ga |
| Total Area kmq | 580.000 km2 |
| Land | 569.000 km2 |
| Weather | Tropical along the coasts, arid in inland areas |
| Natural resources | Limestone, sodium, salt, gemstones, zinc, gypsum, diatomite, hydroelectricity |
| Economic summary | Kenya is the main economic, financial and transport hub of East Africa. The main sector remains agriculture, followed by tourism. Despite an average GDP growth of about 5% per year, the Kenyan economy presents some serious problems that limit its development, in particular high levels of unemployment, widespread corruption and lack of infrastructure. Kenya is also often victim of terrorist attacks. |
| GDP | $ 110 billion (Dec 2021) |
| Pro-capite GDP (Purchasing power parity) | $ 1643 (Dec 2021) |
| Exports | $11,5 billion (2019) |
| Export partner | Uganda 10%, United States 9%, Netherlands 8%, Pakistan 7%, United Kingdom 6%, United Arab Emirates 6%, Tanzania 5% (2019) |
| Imports | $ 10.4 billion (2019) |
| Import partner | China 24%, United Arab Emirates 10%, India 10%, Saudi Arabia 7%, Japan 5% (2019) |
| Trade With Italy | $234 million (2021) |
| Population | 55 million (2022) |
| Population Growth | + 2.12% (2022) |
| Ethnicities | Kikuyu 17.1%, Luhya 14.3%, Kalenjin 13.4%, Luo 10.7%, Kamba 9.8%, Somali 5.8%, Kisii 5.7%, Mijikenda 5.2% , Meru 4.2%, Maasai 2.5%, Turkana 2.1% |
| Languages | English and Kiswahili (official). Various indigenous languages are also spoken |
| Religions | Christians 85.5% (mainly Protestants, Catholics and Evangelicals), Muslims 10.9%. |
| Urbanization | 29% (2022) |
| Literacy | 81,5 % |
Kenya has been an independent state since 1963, after the decolonization of British East Africa. The country is crossed by the equator and is bordered to the north by Ethiopia, to the northwest by South Sudan, to the west by Uganda, to the south by Tanzania and to the east by Somalia. To the southeast it is bordered by the Indian Ocean. Its population is about 55 million and the official languages are Swahili and English.
Kenya has achieved a significant level of political stability and economic development, becoming the economic hub of the region. In addition, the country has played a valuable mediation role in crises in neighbouring countries, such as Somalia, Sudan and, more recently, Ethiopia.
The very complex situation in southern Somalia, where al-Shabaab carries out most of its terrorist activities, is the main source of concern for Kenya, which has been targeted by numerous terrorist attacks since three decades ago. Since 2012, Kenya has been a major contributor to AMISOM, the African Union stabilisation mission in Somalia.
Although still affected by severe poverty, Kenya's economy can be considered the largest and most developed in Eastern and Central Africa. In the past few years, overall trade between Kenya and Italy has been characterised by a high imbalance in favour of the latter. Italian exports to Kenya include: aircraft, industrial machinery, chemicals, food and household appliances. Kenya’s exports to Italy include: rawhide, skins and leather; fruits and vegetables; plants, bulbs and cut flowers. Italy has also heavily invested in the tourism sector.
Relations between Italy and Kenya are very good. The Italian community in Kenya is the second largest in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2006, Italy and Kenya signed a debt conversion agreement, under which several projects have been launched in support of vulnerable populations.
