In what is being referred to as a critical milestone in efforts to put an end to the conflict in South Sudan that has long devastated its economy, the government of that country and rebel opposition organisations signed a “commitment declaration” for peace on Thursday during high-level mediation discussions in Kenya.
The agreement first signed in 2018 which put an end to South Sudan’s five-year civil conflict, that claimed 400,000 lives and left millions as refugees, did not include the rebel opposition groups.
President Salva Kiir of South Sudan thanked William Ruto of Kenya, his counterpart, for hosting the high-level mediation discussions that began a week ago.
The talks have been dubbed ‘Tumaini’, the Swahili word for hope. This initiative and negotiations are led by former Kenyan army commander Lazarus Sumbeiywo.
According to Kenya’s foreign ministry, the agreement marked a “first milestone” in the continuing negotiations during which the parties to the conflict vowed to put an end to the hostilities and violence.
However, the content of the agreement was not made public in a signing ceremony which was well attended by diplomats and civil society groups.
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