President William Ruto is set to visit South Sudan on Wednesday for a one-day official meeting with President Salva Kiir, focusing on the progress of the Tumaini Peace Initiative. Announced by South Sudan’s Presidential Press Secretary Lily Martin Manyiel Ayuel, the meeting aims to discuss the initiative’s achievements, which started in Nairobi on May 9, 2024. This high-level mediation effort addresses unresolved conflict in South Sudan, targeting groups that haven’t signed the 2018 R-ARCSS (Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan).
Ruto, Kiir, and Chief Mediator Major-General (Ret.) Lazarus Sumbeiywo are key leaders in the initiative. Ayuel emphasized that President Kiir remains committed to the initiative, refuting reports suggesting otherwise.
In December 2023, Kiir asked Ruto to take over the mediation lead from Sant’Egidio’s Community in Rome, citing delays in progress. A South Sudan delegation, led by Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro, met Ruto in Nairobi last week to further coordination efforts. Major-General Sumbeiywo, who previously facilitated the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, recently stated that nine protocols have been completed, and the final agreement is expected to be signed this month, indicating substantial progress in the peace negotiations.
