The presidents of South Sudan and Kenya are pushing for a resolution in the ongoing peace talks

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) – Peace talks in South Sudan, once Kenya’s neighbor, will resume under the direction of President Salva Kiir and his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, who met on Wednesday and ordered a team of negotiators to meet and resolve all outstanding issues. problems within two weeks.

Talks stalled after Kiir’s former rival, Riek Machar, withdrew in July, revealing plans by negotiators to replace a 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war that left more than 400,000 people dead.

Although the 2018 peace agreement is yet to be fully implemented, South Sudan postponed elections, scheduled for December 2023 to 2025, in order to establish key electoral processes outlined in the agreement.

The Tumaini initiative peace talks, which have been ongoing in Kenya since May, aim to provide a basis for the inclusion of non-signatory parties to maintain peace in the east African country plagued by civil wars and ethnic violence. However, participants expressed concern about the new security law that will allow the government to arrest people without warrants.

The law has been criticized by Western delegations and human rights groups who fear it could be misused in a fragile political and legal environment.

South Sudan is facing an economic crisis that has left civil servants without pay for nearly a year, after oil exports were disrupted by a damaged pipeline in neighboring war-torn Sudan.

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