South Sudan’s Kiir vows to implement 2018 peace agreement  

December 2, 2024 (JUBA) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir has vowed to fully implement the revitalized peace agreement which ended more than five years of a bloody civil war in the country.

Speaking to reporters in the capital, Juba on Monday, Kiir downplayed issues that saw the ongoing talks in Nairobi, Kenya between government and various opposition groups suspended for months.

“We all considered this agreement as the path to our stability and I am committed with our partners to implement it. I want to affirm my government’s commitment to peace in our country,” he stated.

The South Sudanese leader urged unity, adding that sustainable dialogue is key among the parties.

He said challenges needed to be addressed for sustainable peace and prosperity to be achieved.

In July, the Kenya-led peace talks in Nairobi hit a snag after the armed opposition movement (SPLM-IO), a key signatory of the peace deal, pulled out just days after the signing of the three protocols on humanitarian access, permanent ceasefire and guarantors to the mediation process.

The peace process, known as the Tumaini Initiative, had achieved agreements on eight protocols related to the security sector and other areas, marking significant progress in the negotiations.

The SPLM-IO said some protocols signed in the peace talks created parallel institutions similar to those established provisions in the revitalized peace deal..

The Kenya-led peace negotiations for South Sudan were scheduled to resume December 2 after three months of standstill. The talks were launched on May 9, incorporating some major holdout groups that did not sign the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

(ST)