- A statement from State House said Ruto made the appointment at the request of President Salva Kiir of South Sudan.
- The statement added that Ruto has appointed Ambassador Mohammed Ali Guyo as the Assistant Mediator.
Image: FILE
President William Ruto has appointed former Army Commander Lazarus Sumbeiywo as the Chief Mediator for the South Sudan Mediation Peace Process.
A statement from State House said Ruto made the appointment at the request of President Salva Kiir of South Sudan.
The statement added that Ruto has appointed Ambassador Mohammed Ali Guyo as the Assistant Mediator.
“In appointing the two Kenyans, President Ruto said elections in South Sudan are scheduled by December this year and his South Sudanese counterpart had, therefore, requested him to facilitate talks in Nairobi with opposition groups and other sections of society in that country,” the statement read in part.
The President said he had picked Sumbeiywo as Chief Mediator due to his experience in the South Sudan peace process nearly 20 years ago.
"Based on your wealth of experience and invaluable contribution in negotiating and the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, I appoint you as the Chief Mediator from April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025," Ruto said.
The instability in South Sudan erupted in December 2013 in the streets of the capital, Juba, after President Salva Kiir accused his vice president Riek Machar of an attempted coup.
Fighting between two factions of government forces loyal to either of the leaders raged on and spread to other regions including Bentiu and Bor.
The violence has since then displaced almost four million South Sudanese in violence that has muted into a brutal civil war affecting the entire country although fewer incidences of conflict were reported between 2018 and 2023.
Sumbeywo’s mandate is to facilitate mediation talks between the warring factions including opposition groups under the South Sudan Opposition Alliance umbrella, religious groups and civil society.
Ruto said the ex-army commander has a mandate to accord the South Sudan Mediation Peace Process day-to-day leadership on his behalf and to facilitate negotiations and interaction among the parties to achieve peace and political stability in South Sudan.
“Sumbeiywo will report directly to President Ruto and provide monthly reports. In addition, he will also provide periodic updates to all stakeholders,” the statement said.
South Sudan is expected to hold its first general election in December 2024, eleven years since it became an independent state in 2011.