Cabinet Minister Dr. martin Elia Lomuro. (File photo).

The rapporteur of the government delegation to the Kenya-led South Sudan peace process has refuted social media reports that he was thrown out of the Tumaini initiative by the chief mediator.

In a press conference held in Nairobi on Monday, December 9, Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro denounced a report he called “negative propaganda,” which claimed that Kenya’s veteran peace mediator, Gen. Lazarus Sumbeiywo, had expelled him from the peace conference after talks resumed.

The cabinet minister further stated that the individual claimed he had angered Gen. Sumbeiywo by denying reports that President Salva Kiir had written a letter requesting assistance from Kenya’s President Ruto to mediate peace between the transitional government and the holdout opposition groups.

However, Dr Elia dismissed these allegations, describing them as part of a negative campaign against the Tumaini Initiative.

According to him, some individuals are targeting him simply because he is the government rapporteur and secretary of the high-level standing committee on the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.

“This press is essentially to alleviate the concerns of our citizens and our people who know that we are here to negotiate peacefully, and to negate the negative social media campaign,” he said addressing the media from Nairobi on Monday.

“I want to assure our people that I’m here. Lazarus Sumbeiywo is a very responsible and very well-known peace mediator. He cannot be described as someone who could chase a senior minister of a government delegation.”

“This news which has been spread undermines the name of Lazarus Sumbeiywo. So, I want to tell our people not to listen to the negative propaganda that is out there for them to lose trust in the government, to divide our delegation and to make them lose hope.”

The Tumaini peace initiative resumed four days ago and mediators have been holding consultation meetings with the parties to try to bridge the gaps in their positions ahead of the main part of the negotiation expected on Monday, December 9.

The parties have differed on the initially agreed protocols which forced the withdrawal of a section of the transitional government from the talks in June this year.

The government team suggests that the Nairobi peace process should not be a renegotiation of the 2018 peace deal, while the opposition insists the talks should pick up from where it stalled.