South Sudan’s peace talks are set to resume following a directive from President Salva Kiir and his Kenyan counterpart, President William Ruto. The leaders met on Wednesday and directed the mediation team to reconvene and address all outstanding issues in less than two weeks. The talks hit a deadlock in July after the party of Riek Machar, Kiir’s vice president, withdrew in objection to an alleged plan by the mediators to change the 2018 peace agreement. This agreement, though only partially implemented, halted a five-year civil war that claimed over 400,000 lives. The Tumaini initiative peace talks, ongoing in Kenya since May, aim to foster the inclusion of non-signatory groups in a broader peace agreement. South Sudan’s government hopes this will deliver sustained peace in the country, which has been plagued by civil war and ethnic violence since its independence. However, concerns persist over a new security law permitting detentions without warrants.
SOURCE: AP NEWS