CEPO Executive Director Edmond Yakani has urged President Salva Kiir to act on Kenya’s call for a ceasefire and inclusive dialogue, warning that South Sudan’s transition remains fragile without decisive leadership.
Yakani was responding to official statements issued after President William Ruto’s meeting with South Sudanese government representatives, in which Kenya called for an immediate ceasefire and renewed political dialogue.
The meeting focused on the evolving political situation in South Sudan and regional efforts to support peace and stability.
According to Yakani, the message from Kenya’s leadership was “clear and direct,” calling on South Sudanese leaders to immediately halt hostilities, uphold the permanent ceasefire as provided for in the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), and resolve political disagreements through dialogue rather than military confrontation.
“The Kenyan leadership has strongly urged our leaders to make the ceasefire work and to use dialogue as the primary tool for resolving the current political crisis,” Yakani said, describing the outcome of the Nairobi meeting as a positive and timely intervention.
He noted that Kenya had also expressed readiness to revive stalled peace initiatives and support South Sudan’s transition from violence to peace, including assistance in the country’s political and electoral processes.
He welcomed President Ruto’s commitment to advancing regional peace and security, stressing that durable stability in South Sudan is critical to shared prosperity across East Africa.
In remarks following the meeting, President Ruto reaffirmed Kenya’s readiness to support capacity building and institutional preparedness of South Sudan’s electoral body ahead of the scheduled elections, emphasizing the importance of credible and peaceful democratic outcomes.
The Kenyan leader said the support reflects a shared regional responsibility to strengthen democratic processes and stability.
Yakani, however, cautioned that while regional and international support is important, the primary responsibility for peace lies with South Sudanese leaders themselves.
“My appeal to His Excellency the President is to ensure that the messages delivered by the Government of Kenya, particularly by President William Ruto, are translated into real actions that move the country from violence to peace,” he said.
He stressed that the immediate priority should be ensuring that the ceasefire holds, followed by the resumption of unconditional and inclusive political dialogue among all parties that are signatories to the R-ARCSS.
The civil society leader further called for broader inclusivity in the peace process, urging the merger of the R-ARCSS framework with the Tumaini Initiative to create a unified political pathway capable of addressing South Sudan’s protracted conflict.
“There is a growing national consensus on the need for an inclusive peace process. Inclusivity is a core principle of both R-ARCSS and the Tumaini Initiative. This is the right moment to merge the two into a single political framework that can transition the country from violence to peace,” Yakani said.
He added that civil society organizations stand ready to champion efforts aimed at unifying peace initiatives, restoring trust among political actors, and ensuring a peaceful democratic transition.
Yakani also welcomed Kenya’s engagement with South Sudanese leadership, noting that the Nairobi meeting attended by South Sudan’s Presidential Special Envoy Tut Gatluak Manime, Foreign Affairs Minister Monday Semaya Kumba, and Tumaini Initiative Chief Mediator Lazarus Sumbeiywo signals renewed regional attention to South Sudan’s peace process.
As South Sudan navigates a critical phase of its transition, Yakani urged all political actors to recommit to dialogue, cease hostilities, and prioritize the interests of citizens over political rivalry, warning that failure to do so risks plunging the country back into instability.
