President Kiir chats with opposition leaders Pagan Amum and Paul Malong in Nairobi. (-)

A delegate to the Nairobi peace talks said parties have discussed several items including political governance, security sector reform, and constitutional referendum on Tuesday.

Edmond Yakani, a civil society activist, said land-related conflicts and federalism were also among key issues brought up in the negotiation.

Yakani described the discussion between the unity government and non-signatories to the 2018 peace agreement as ‘healthy and fruitful’.

The head of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) – stated that the resolutions of Tuesday’s talks are expected to be signed by the parties soon.

He told Eye Radio from Nairobi, via WhatsApp message, that the parties have also touched on co-existence of multiethnic communities and land-related issues in the country.

“We mainly focused on political governance, we had a very fruitful discussion on issues that define political governance in the country. We also managed to discuss issues associated with co-existence as a multiethnic communities in one states,” he said.

Yakani said the peace parties have so far reached some consensus on system of governance which is federalism.

“We have looked into issues that are associated with constitution and constitution referendum. We discussed security arrangements, and we looked into issues that have delayed the unification of the forces and the security sector reform.”

“So the discussion all went very well, healthy and the discussions were referred to committees that composed of the members from the government, from the non-signatories to the revitalized peace agreement and from us civil society.”

“This was to zero final resolutions that will inform a document to be signed as an outcome of Nairobi peace talks on political, governance and security arrangements.”

The Nairobi peace talk that began on 9th May 2024 with a focus on governance, justice, security, and the economy, among others.

The negotiations were overshadowed on May 20, 2024, when the leader of the South Sudan People’s Movement/Army, Stephen Buay Rolnyang, requested to pull out from the peace talks over an alleged plot to assassinate him.

Buay wrote to the mediators, alleging that he received intelligence from Juba on 15th May 2024, that a team of security agents had been sent from Juba to Nairobi with the intent to hunt and kill him.

Following an investigation, the Kenyan chief mediator, Lieutenant General Lazaro Sumbeiywo, has declared that the peace process is held in a safe environment despite the security concerns.

General Sumbeiywo said he has held consultation with the hotel security, parties and the civil society to confirm that there is no security threat, adding that all parties to the High-Level Mediation for South Sudan have affirmed their commitment to the peace process.