Ruto discusses South Sudan peace efforts with AU Panel of the Wise amidst setbacks

President William Ruto engaged in discussions on Thursday about the elusive South Sudan peace process with the African Union Panel of the Wise, led by former Kenyan High Court Judge Effie Owuor and former Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye.

The Panel of the Wise (PoW) is a consultative body of the African Union, consisting of five appointed members who each serve three-year terms.

Their mandate is to provide opinions to the Peace and Security Council on issues relevant to conflict prevention, management, and resolution.

“Kenya remains steadfast in the South Sudan journey towards the consolidation of peace and security. We are glad there has been demonstrable progress in bringing the country back to stability ahead of elections,” Ruto posted on his X account.

This meeting follows the recent announcement by South Sudanese First Vice President Riek Machar that the main opposition group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), which he leads, has withdrawn from the Kenya-led Tumaini peace initiative. Machar accused the initiative of overstepping its mandate and undermining the East African Community's existing revitalised peace agreement and sovereignty, sending Kenyan mediators back to the drawing board.

This development came days after the parties to the Kenya-led initiative signed eight protocols encompassing security, ceasefire, communal violence, arms proliferation, land disputes, trust-building, humanitarian access, and the role of guarantors.

These protocols, established in Nairobi, aim to address critical issues in South Sudan and build on the institutions created under the revitalised peace agreement signed by President Salva Kiir's government and the main armed opposition group in September 2018.

The Panel of the Wise is the AU’s most high-profile structure for preventing conflict, conducting on-the-ground fact-finding, presenting policy options, and brokering agreements. It is composed of five “highly respected African personalities who employ their experience and moral persuasion to foster peace” and who represent each of Africa’s five regions.

The Tumaini ('hope' in Swahili) Peace Initiative for South Sudan, launched in Nairobi months ago, seeks a final peace settlement by including armed groups that have not signed the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.