South Sudan Government, Rebel Groups Sign Peace Commitment in Kenya

The government of South Sudan and rebel opposition groups signed a “commitment declaration” for peace on Thursday during mediation talks in Kenya.

This is seen as a significant step toward ending the ongoing conflict in South Sudan.

However, the agreement details were not disclosed at the signing ceremony, which diplomats and civil society groups attended.

These rebel groups were not part of the 2018 peace agreement that ended South Sudan’s five-year civil war, which resulted in 400,000 deaths and displaced millions.

Kenya’s foreign office called the recent agreement a “first milestone” in the ongoing peace talks, indicating both sides’ pledge to end violence and hostilities.

South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir, had expressed gratitude to Kenyan President, William Ruto, for hosting the negotiations at the start of the high-level mediation talks launched a week ago.

The peace talks, tagged “Tumaini, Swahili for hope, Initiative”, are led by former Kenyan army commander Lazarus Sumbeiywo.

South Sudan is scheduled to hold elections in December but remains politically unstable. The 2018 peace agreement is not fully implemented, and conflict continues in various parts of the country due to ethnic and political differences.

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