Monday April 29, 2024
President Williams Ruto of Kenya shakes hands with President Salva Kiir in Nairobi on August 19, 2023 (SS presidency photo)
Kenya will hold mediation between South Sudan government and its hold-out groups in the coming days, an official said.
Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo, the retired Kenyan army officer appointed by President William Ruto to oversee talks between South Sudan government and the holdouts armed and non-armed groups signaled a positive start to the peace process.
“Our discussions with His Excellency President Salva Kiir were fruitful and in the coming days, mediation might start. This is a good message for the people of South Sudan, the region, and indeed the whole world because this country has suffered much and it should embark and invest in its effort to develop its institution to enhance state and nation building”, he explained.
Sumbeiywo said President Kiir expressed his commitment to a peaceful settlement of political differences, citing his advocacy for a calm and mediated settlement.
The Kenyan diplomat, however, commended South Sudan government and President Kiir for displaying wisdom and love for the count by conceiving a peace initiative focused on achieving everlasting peace with the holdout groups.
South Sudan’s Special Envoy to the President, Albino Mathom told reporters on Thursday that the president is committed to welcome his brothers back and engage in constructive dialogue that paves way for reaching a comprehensive peace agreement that promotes reconciliation among all the stakeholders.
He did not reveal on which date negotiations with other actors will commence, emphasizing that the forthcoming peace effort, scheduled to take place in Nairobi, represents a revitalized commitment to non-violent means of resolution.
In December last year, President Kiir, through the Minister of Presidential Affairs Bangasi Joseph Bakasoro, asked the Kenyan President to mediate between the government and the non-signatories to the September 2018 peace agreement.
The Rome-based Sant’Egidio Community, adjourned the peace talks between South Sudan’s transitional government and the non-signatories South Sudanese opposition groups after they disagreed on the agenda of the peace talks in March 2023.