Civil society leader Edmund Yakani has welcomed Kenya’s pledge to support South Sudan’s elections following talks between President William Ruto and South Sudanese officials.
The pledge followed a meeting between President Ruto and a delegation led by South Sudan’s Presidential Advisor on National Security Affairs, Tut Gatluak Manime, at State House in Nairobi yesterday.
His remarks come after President Ruto said Kenya is ready to support capacity building and institutional preparedness of South Sudan’s electoral bodies ahead of the general elections scheduled for later this year.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Yakani described the Kenyan leader’s pledge as a positive message and urged South Sudanese leaders to act on it.
He said Kenya should be a role in urging South Sudan’s leaders to respect the ceasefire, stop hostilities, and resolve political differences through dialogue in line with the 2018 peace agreement.
Yakani also urged the President to revive the Tumaini peace talks to bring opposition groups back to the peace agreement.
He said the Kenyan leaders are ready to renew the Tumaini initiative and described it as “an instrument for transitioning the country from violence to peace.”
Yakani added that the pledge is welcome but stressed that the “primary responsibility lie with South Sudanese leaders.”
He appealed to President Salva Kiir to translate the Kenyan message into “real actions” that will transition the country from violence to peace.