Kenya hosts South Sudan peace talks

The South Sudanese government and opposition groups are meeting for peace talks in Kenya to put an end to the infighting that plagued the country.

The talks are mediated by Kenya’s president William Ruto and attended by South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir and main rebel opposition leaders that were not part of the 2018 deal, which ended a war that cost the lives of 400,000 people.

Kiir said his government would negotiate in good faith and urged rebel group to work together for peace in the country.

“We need to leave the mindset of conflict, we need to stop seeing ourselves as enemies. We are brothers and sisters, President Kiir, we are brothers and sisters”, said Pagan Amum Okiech, leader of the Real-SPLM group.

The talks were also attended by Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema, Namibia’s Nangolo Mbumba, and Central African Republic’s Faustin-Archange Touadera. The meeting took place after an African Union agricultural summit hosted by Kenya.