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24 July 2024 (Juba) – South Sudanese President Salva Kiir is on an official visit to South Africa to discuss the implementation of the peace agreement ahead of talks with his first deputy, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In-Opposition leader Riek Machar.
Kiir left Juba on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, accompanied by Machar and several senior government officials. Presidential Press Secretary Lily Adieu Martin told the media at the airport that Kiir and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will discuss the progress of the Nairobi peace talks during this visit.
“The purpose of President Kiir’s visit is to update President Ramaphosa on the progress of the ongoing Toumani Initiative, which seeks a political solution between the South Sudanese government and resistance groups,” Martin said.
South Africa chairs the African Union’s High-Level Ad Hoc Committee of Heads of State and Government, or C5, which comprises representatives from the continent’s five regions.
The committee was established in 2018 to strengthen and expand the mediation efforts of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in South Sudan. According to the communiqué of the 474th session of the Peace and Security Council, the role of the C5 is to strengthen African support for IGAD and assist South Sudanese parties and stakeholders in achieving lasting peace.
Juba officials want Kiir to brief President Ramaphosa on progress in implementing the peace deal and seek his advice on the main issues hindering its implementation.
The South Sudan Conflict Resolution Agreement, reached in August 2015, collapsed in July 2016 due to a lack of trust among the leaders of the main political parties and problems with security arrangements. Addressing the trust deficit in the political leadership remains a major challenge for the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir plans to meet with SPLM-IO leader and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and other vice presidents to address issues that emerged in the Toumani Initiative following the SPLM-IO’s withdrawal from the talks.
On Monday, a delegation sent by the Kenyan government to the Tumani Initiative met with Machar to apprise him of the progress of the ongoing talks and convince him to return to the negotiation table.
Last week, the SPLM-IO Political Bureau met in Juba and unanimously decided to withdraw from the Kenya-mediated talks. The group expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement drawn up during the Toumani Initiative negotiations, particularly criticizing the proposal to establish a National Leadership Council (NLC).
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition believes that the National Liberation Council will concentrate unchecked power and may override constitutional institutions such as the presidential palace, the Council of Ministers, the national legislature and the National Security Council.
Information Minister Michael Makuei said the departure of the SPLM-IO had weakened the government’s position in the negotiations, stressing that the government delegation to the Nairobi talks was an inclusive team that included members of the SPLM-IO.
Given the challenges of the Tumaini talks, Kiir is seeking advice and consultations with his South African counterpart before meeting with Machar later this week. According to Kiir’s press team, the meeting between the two leaders will focus on promoting peace and stability in South Sudan and strengthening relations between the two countries.
(English stone)
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