Jakaya Kikwete earlier visit and meeting with President Salva Kiir on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Photo Credit: PPU

Civil society leader Edmond Yakani has welcomed recent meetings in Tanzania between African Union envoy Jakaya Kikwete and South Sudan opposition groups, saying the engagement is a positive step toward advancing the stalled peace process.

Yakani, the executive director of the South Sudan Empowerment for Progress Organization SEPO, said the envoy’s recent consultations with opposition political groups in Dar es Salaam represent an important opening for inclusive dialogue under the framework of the 2018 peace agreement in South Sudan.

He said Kikwete met opposition actors including the United People Alliance (UPA), SOMA led by General Thomas Cirilo, the PCCA group, and other political stakeholders. He said these engagements reflect the spirit of inclusivity advocated by civil society and regional actors.

“This is a remarkable move and a positive response to our advocacy,” Yakani said. “It is meeting the call that no stakeholder should be left behind in any political dialogue.”

“This is a good beginning for the role of the envoy in handling the ongoing political stalemate in the country,” Yakani said.

Kikwete’s role covers mediation efforts across the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region under the African Union framework. Yakani said Kikwete should travel to Juba to engage transitional authorities, opposition groups, and civil society in implementing outstanding provisions of the peace roadmap.

He said recent decisions by the AU Peace and Security Council, including outcomes of a field mission to South Sudan, call for structured dialogue between the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity and other stakeholders. He said coordination involving the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the United Nations is required to support implementation.

Yakani said IGAD should take urgent steps through its ministerial council and heads of state summit, saying stronger regional coordination is needed to harmonize AU, IGAD, and UN efforts in support of the peace process.

“The only pathway that South Sudan has to bring peace and stability is through an inclusive dialogue that leads to elections,” Yakani said. “It is through the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and related initiatives that the country can transition from violence to peace.”

Yakani said there should be a merged and coordinated framework between AU-led mediation efforts, IGAD mechanisms, and UN support structures to ensure a unified political process aimed at ending cycles of violence and supporting a peaceful transition in South Sudan.