The Office of the US Secretary of State has revealed that Marco Rubio had a phone conversation with President William Ruto on Friday, February 21.
In a statement attributed to office spokesperson Tammy Bruce, the duo engaged over the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In particular, the two discussed the capture of Goma and Bukavu by the M23 armed group. The US described the move as unacceptable, maintaining that the armed groups were backed by Rwanda.
On his part, Ruto expressed his support for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.
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"Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto to discuss the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the unacceptable capture of Goma and Bukavu by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group.
"They emphasized that there is no military solution to the conflict and called for an immediate ceasefire. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to push for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis," read the statement in part.
Ruto is currently, the chair of the East African Community (EAC) and has in recent weeks called emergency meetings with his counterparts to discuss the recent capture of Goma by the armed groups.
Notably, he also co-chaired a meeting with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) - which currently has troops in DRC.
The resolution of the conflict is seen as a big diplomatic test for Ruto and Kenya given the various accusations and counter-accusations made by President Felix Tshisekedi of DRC and Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
