Kenya Takes Up Mediation Of South Sudan Peace Talks
This week, Kenya assumed the role of mediator in discussions between the South Sudan government and factions that refrained from signing the peace agreement in 2018.
Following his dismissal as the mediator in the Sudan conflict, President William Ruto of Kenya has the opportunity to rebrand himself by assuming the role of a peace envoy in the region.
In the latter part of the previous year, President Salva Kiir asked Kenya to assume control of the Rome process, originally started by the Community of Sant’ Egidio, a lay Catholic association.
President Ruto stated that Kenya is in the process of making the required preparations to assume control and relocate the proceedings to Nairobi.
“I accepted the request of my brother President Salva Kiir to host the remaining phase of the peace talks that have been going on between the government of South Sudan and the holdout opposition parties,” he said in a statement.
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On January 27th, President Ruto was presented with a roster of government representatives by President Kiir. The delivery was made by Presidential Special Envoy Albino Aboug in Nairobi. While participating in the Italy-Africa Summit in Rome, Dr. Ruto engaged in talks with Sant’Egidio officials and expressed Nairobi’s commitment to collaborating closely with previous mediators.
The anticipated return of both parties to the negotiating table in May 2023, two months following the government’s withdrawal of its delegation, did not materialize.
President Kiir moved the negotiations to Kenya in December 2023.
Some members of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance (SSOMA) harbor reservations, expressing discomfort regarding Kenya’s role as the mediator.
Cirino Hiteng, a Real-SPLM member, mentioned that even though there’s no assurance of Kenya achieving success where Sant’Egidio fell short, no one could reject the opportunity for peace talks.
Pagan Amum, his leader, expressed skepticism as well. He pointed out that the talks were relocated to Nairobi because Ssoma had insisted on addressing the root causes of the conflict, a stance that Juba finds uneasy.
Kenya Takes Up Mediation Of South Sudan Peace Talks
