South Sudan’s transitional government and holdout opposition groups will resume peace talks in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, on Monday, a chief mediator announced on Thursday.
Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo, chief mediator for the high-level mediation process for South Sudan, confirmed the resumption of the talks in a letter leaked to Radio Tamazuj Thursday.
The new round of the Kenya-led peace talks dubbed “Tumaini” meaning hope in Swahili, is expected to iron out the outstanding issues within the two weeks’ time frame set by presidents from Kenya and South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir.
“Following the mission of H.E. President William Ruto to Juba on 6th November 2024 and the Joint Communique on the resumption of the peace process, H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit has promptly constituted the RTGONU delegation to the Tumaini Initiative,” Sumbeiywo said in an invitation to the parties issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
“In view of this and on the way forward for the Tumaini Peace Initiative, the peace talks will resume on Monday, 18th November 2024, at Glee Hotel with a view of concluding within the proposed timeframe, “it added.
Separately, Hon. Lual Dau, secretary general of the SSOMA faction and other opposition groups at the Tumaini Peace Initiative, confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that they had received a letter from the mediation team to resume the peace talks on Monday, 18th November, in Nairobi.
“This afternoon, SSOMA and other opposition groups, we have received a letter from Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo, the chief mediator for the high-level mediation for South Sudan, regarding the resumption of the Tumaini Peace Initiative,” Lual said.
Lual, who is also the spokesperson of the opposition groups, confirmed that the talks will resume officially on Monday, November 18th, in Nairobi, with a view to finalizing the process within the proposed timeframe.
“As opposition members, we are saying this agreement aims to rescue the country. We need a government that can provide basic services to the people of South Sudan. Our people need education, health and other services. We need to reach an agreement that supports our people,” he concluded.
The decision to resume the talks follows a meeting between Kenyan President William Ruto and President Kiir’s Special Envoy and Minister of Presidential Affairs in Nairobi Wednesday.
During the meeting, Kiir’s envoy, Chol Ajongo, conveyed a special message and informed the Kenyan leader about the reconstitution of the government delegation to the Tumaini Initiative.
The Kenya-led peace talks, Tumaini Initiative, which began on May 9, however, suffered a setback in July when some parties raised concerns over specific mechanisms proposed in the negotiations.