South Sudan holdouts agree to resume peace talks in Nairobi
President William Ruto (left) with his host President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar (right) in Juba, South Sudan on November 6, 2024.
South Sudan’s holdout groups, the non-signatories to the 2018 peace agreement, have agreed to resume peace talks in Nairobi after months of expressing security concerns and dissatisfaction with the process.
This development follows Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to Juba on Wednesday, where he held talks with President Salva Kiir, First Vice President Riek Machar and other key stakeholders in the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU).
President Ruto said in a statement after the trip that the parties to the South Sudan peace process have agreed to resume mediation in Nairobi to address outstanding issues.
“It’s encouraging to see that gaps between the government and opposition can be bridged, paving the way for a new era of sustainable peace and prosperity.”
President Ruto, the guarantor to the peace process in South Sudan, said adequate and long-term peace in the country will only be found through inclusive dialogue.
The peace talks in Nairobi, known as the Tumaini Initiative, began in May, after Kiir approached Ruto to host the dialogue. Now the process will include the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), the initial mediator of the 2018 peace deal, formally known as the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.
Kenya believes Igad's involvement will provide the necessary regional support for the new process, which seeks to include non-signatories in an appendage of the peace deal.
Peace and stability is seen as a prerequisite for economic recovery in both South Sudan and the region.
State House Nairobi had earlier said the two leaders would to discuss various issues related to South Sudan's foundation for a lasting peace brokered by the Tumaini Initiative.
“Over the past six months, the initiative has evolved through intensive dialogue with key South Sudanese stakeholders, establishing a foundation for lasting peace in the region,” read a statement from State House.
President Ruto earlier this year named Lt-Gen (Rtd) Lazarus Sumbeiywo and Mohamed Guyo as mediators between the Kiir-led TGoNU and the hold-out groups.
The Tumaini Initiative, however, appeared to have stalled after Juba withdrew its delegation for consultations. The groups had, nonetheless, agreed on six of the nine protocols touching on reconciliation, justice, power sharing and the long-term State rebuilding.
Three other protocols were initialled by the parties. In negotiations, the initialling of documents marks the end of discussions on them, but not necessarily an agreement on their content.
Earlier this year, President Ruto led a section of leaders in signing a commitment to pursue peace in an effort to bring both leaders under the umbrella of opposing violence.
Sumbeiywo, the man who also successfully mediated the 2005 Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that helped set the stage for South Sudan’s later independence in 2011, previously told The EastAfrican that the parties had agreed that a new constitution would prevent future violence.
The coalition government in Juba last month extended its mandate by two years, starting February next year, after failing to prepare for presidential elections initially marked for December this year.
Nairobi says a majority of the holdout groups, who were initially reluctant, now appear to have accepted the Kenyan-led mediation and have sent observers.
Some of the hold-out groups are blamed for frequent attacks on trucks from Kenya and Uganda, making their violence a regional problem.
