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South Sudanese VP Nyandeng attends Nairobi Peace Process, urges reconciliation

South Sudan's Vice President of the Gender and Youth Cluster, Rebecca Nyandeng Garang being received by the Director of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region at the Foreign Office, Josephat Maikara in Nairobi on May 27, 2024. (Photo: X/ForeignOfficeKE)

By Mwangi Maina | Tuesday, May 28, 2024

She extended appreciation to Kenyan President William Ruto for his role in the process and urged all involved parties to set aside political differences and prioritise reconciliation for the greater good of South Sudan.

South Sudan's Vice President of the Gender and Youth Cluster, Rebecca Nyandeng Garang, made an appearance on Monday to demonstrate her support for the peace process dubbed Tumaini that is ongoing in Nairobi, Kenya.

The mediation efforts in Nairobi aim to foster peace between the South Sudanese government and hold-out groups.

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According to a statement released by the State Department for Foreign Affairs, the Vice President expressed gratitude to President Salva Kiir for initiating the crucial discussions with a strong commitment to preventing the East African country from sliding back into crisis.

She extended appreciation to Kenyan President William Ruto for his role in the process and urged all involved parties to set aside political differences and prioritise reconciliation for the greater good of South Sudan.

Kenya was represented by the Director of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region at the Foreign Office, Josephat Maikara who emphasised the importance of a peaceful South Sudan for the prosperity and well-being of neighbouring countries.

Prominent roles

Kenyan nationals have assumed prominent roles in the fresh campaign for peace in South Sudan, aimed to unite political figures in Juba ahead of the scheduled December polls.

President Ruto in late March appointed Lazarus Sumbeiywo as the Chief Mediator for the South Sudan mediation peace process.

Presidents William Ruto addresses African heads of state and delegates at the launch of the South Sudan Mediation Process chaired by Lazarus Sumbeiywo at State House, Nairobi on Thursday, May 10, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

President William Ruto addresses African heads of state and delegates at the launch of the South Sudan Mediation Process chaired by Lazarus Sumbeiywo at State House, Nairobi on Thursday, May 10, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

Sumbeiywo, a retired Kenya Army Commander, is deputised by Mohammed Abdi Guyo, another Kenyan who has been serving as IGAD Special Envoy to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Somalia.

Sumbeiywo is facilitating negotiations and interaction among the parties to achieve "peace and political stability in South Sudan."

He was appointed Kenya's special envoy to Sudan in 1997 by former President Daniel Moi, and in 2005 he led the warring parties into signing the comprehensive peace agreement in Naivasha signed by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan's People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The Naivasha agreement effectively ended over two decades of conflict and marked a major breakthrough that ended with the birth of South Sudan in 2011.

On the other hand, Maj. General (Rtd) Charles Gituai has been serving as the chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC) since August 2020.

Gituai, a former Kenya Army veteran, was appointed by the IGAD leaders to monitor and oversee the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement and the mandate and tasks of the Transitional Government of National Unity in South Sudan (TGONU).

With just nine months until the general election in South Sudan, a cloud of uncertainty looms over the political landscape as parties fail to reach a consensus, while crucial tasks identified by the Gituai-led commission remain unresolved.

This impending election poses a make-or-break moment, with the world watching the East African Community nation, aware that the outcome of the polls will shape South Sudan's future trajectory.