President Ruto to hold talks with Salva Kiir in Juba
President William Ruto during a past meeting with South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir at State House, Nairobi.
What you need to know:
- Kenya has been mediating the talks between warring factions in South Sudan.
- Kenya’s mediation is led by former army commander Lazurus Sumbeiywo.
President William Ruto has departed for Juba, South Sudan, for a peace-making initiative seeking to end the country’s unending perennial conflicts that have disrupted rebuilding efforts.
State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed on Wednesday said the Head of State was expected to meet South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir to establish the foundation for long-lasting peace brokered through 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.
The talks will also focus on the completion of infrastructural projects for both countries.
“Discussions will also address strategic regional infrastructure projects, including the LAPSSET Corridor. This transformative project aims to boost trade by providing seamless connectivity between South Sudan and the Indian Ocean,” read the statement from State House.
The visit comes after President Ruto on Tuesday held a meeting with opposition parties' representatives to the Tumaini Initiative who confirmed their readiness to sign the Tumaini Consensus following the negotiations.
Kenya has been mediating the talks between warring factions in South Sudan.
In May 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.
Kenya’s mediation is led by former army commander Lazurus 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.
The majority of the holdout groups, who had been reluctant at first, now seem to have accepted the Kenyan-led mediation.
These groups previously refused to sign on to the 2018 peace deal mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), which helped end a civil war between President Salva Kiir’s government and various armed groups that splintered continually since 2013.
