South Sudan’s Information Minister Michael Makuei on Thursday revealed that the Kenya-led mediation team had presented a 75-page document to the parties at the peace talks for responses.
Speaking to reporters at the venue of the talks, Makuei said: “This document will constitute or be transformed into an agreement, and as clearly stated by the chief mediator, we did not come here to do anything other than to negotiate an agreement to operationalize the [revitalized] agreement.”
The minister said the parties would look into the document and respond after three days, which is Monday.
“I can say that as of now, we have started the real talks because, after this, it will be by shuttle. There will be no direct negotiations up to the time when the first draft of the agreement will be produced,” he said.
Meanwhile, a civil society delegate, Edmund Yakani, told Radio Tamazuj that the mediation leadership had offered a comprehensive report on the outcome of the talks on political, governance, security, justice, economic and social issues for review by the government and the opposition delegates as well as the other stakeholders.
Yakani said it was progressive compared to the attempts in Rome led by the Community of Sant’Egidio. He pointed out that the delegates were asked to submit their reactions by Monday to the confidential document, the details of which will be disclosed after the official release.
Yakani, who is also the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said the Nairobi peace initiative is a promising intervention, and it would meet the expectations of the citizens of South Sudan for the realization of peace and stability.
“The citizens of South Sudan should be hopeful of the Nairobi peace talks. The most important expectation from the South Sudan political parties and the government is taking responsibility for the realization of peace and stability in South Sudan,” he said.
Peace talks between the South Sudan government and the holdout groups were launched in Kenya on May 9, with African presidents calling for an end to a conflict that has crippled the country’s economy for several years.
The mediation is led by former Kenya army commander Lazurus Sumbeiywo, who also mediated the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 which gave Southern Sudan autonomy and later led to a referendum for independence in 2011.
In December 2023, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir requested his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto to take over the mediation from the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome, complaining that the talks had taken long in Rome’s hands without resolution.
In February, President Ruto accepted after consulting with the community of Sant’Egidio in Rome.