South Sudan’s government and opposition groups who did not sign the 2018 Revitalised Agreement are among the negotiating parties attending the talks in Nairobi.
The 2018 agreement was introduced with the aim of bringing an end to the country’s five-year civil war, which killed more than 400,000 people.
The Tumaini talks first began in May, but stalled after South Sudanese President Salva Kiir sacked the previous government delegation of representatives. Although a new team was appointed to represent the government, it was unable to travel to Nairobi on two subsequent occasions. No reasons were given for the sackings and travel delays.
Last month, Kiir stated that the talks were not meant to replace the 2018 peace deal, but sought to address and integrate the concerns of holdout groups.
As it stands, the 2018 peace agreement is yet to be fully implemented. National elections were initially scheduled for December 2024, but were subsquently postponed in line with the two-year extension of the country’s transition period.
The elections – which would be the first ever in South Sudan’s history – are now set to be held in December 2026.
