IGAD Executive Secretary Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu. (Photo/file/Courtesy).

IGAD Executive Secretary Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu is in Juba to meet South Sudanese leaders on status of the revitalized peace agreement implementation.

Dr. Gebeyehu arrived on Wednesday for a three-day visit. He will meet President Kiir, First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and other four vice presidents as well as the heads of peace and ceasefire monitoring bodies.

He will also meet with IGAD forum ambassadors, and hold a trilateral discussion with IGAD, UNMISS and the African Union.

Patience Nyange, the spokesperson of the IGAD executive secretary, said the visit is to assess the opportunities and challenges facing the peace implementation, and the adherence of parties to the agreed timeline of the peace implementation as scheduled.

“The discussion rotated around progress so far, opportunities and challenges including the adherence to the parties to the agreed timelines and implementations as scheduled,” she said.

“This conversation will go on for the next two days. There will be a meeting with the Presidency tomorrow and then after that, there will an official communication by the executive secretary.”

The Intergovernmental Authority of Development (IGAD) is the body which mediated South Sudan’s 2015 peace agreement and its revitalization in 2018.

With its headquarters in Djibouti, the bloc comprises eight member states and governments from the Horn of Africa, Nile Valley and the African Great Lakes.

IGAD was formed to accelerate economic and social development and integration of the members of the region through integration efforts of Regional Economic Community and the Member States.