Kenya urges South Sudan politicians to drop hate and embrace unity

JUBA – Kenya is urging South Sudan politicians to stop hate and embrace unity among themselves so that they bring permanent peace in the world’s youngest country which he said will enable the country to focus on development that is badly needed.

Former Kenyan vice-president and the east African country’s special envoy for South Sudan, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, said during the national dialogue conference in Juba on Tuesday that South Sudan should learn from the past experience from other countries.

“On behalf of [Kenyan] President Uhuru Kenyatta, I assure you of the unreserved commitment of the people and government of Kenya to stand with your people in their pursuit of sustainable peace, political stability and economic growth,” he said..

Musyoka urged the South Sudanese politicians to continue engaging with one another for the betterment of the world’s youngest nation.

He assured South Sudanese of support from the Kenyan government.

For his part, Angelo Beda, the co-chairperson of the national dialogue committee urged the ruling party (SPLM) to adhere the democratic principles that it fought for during the country’s liberation struggle.

“The government of South Sudan derailed from its democratic commitment long time ago,” told the opening session on Tuesday.

Beda said the deliberations of the conference will help in create a stable South Sudan where constitutional freedoms are preserved.

He urged the parties to speed up the implementation of the relevant provisions of the peace deal, especially issues that are behind schedule.

Amb. Berhanu Kebede, Chief of Staff of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) said the national dialogue conference is a part of the concerted efforts towards finding solutions for sustainable peace in South Sudan.

“We must therefore all agree that the inclusion and recognition of the voices of the diverse peoples of South Sudan is of utmost importance to the peaceful future of this country,” he remarked.

According to Kebede, the Revitalised Peace Agreement lays the foundation for a united, peaceful and prosperous society based on justice, equality, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

“I urge the National Dialogue to support the achievement of this goal through whatever ways they can, not least in the sharing of their knowledge and experience they have gained in their work. Their recommendations at the end of this conference will be of particular interest and it is RJMEC’S hope that those recommendations will bond well with the R-ARCSS,” he stressed.

The R-JMEC official thanked President Kiir for steering the peace process to this point so far, noting that throughout the process, his leadership has been evident, and that the people of South Sudan have stood alongside their leaders in the demand for sustainable peace and the full implementation of the peace agreement.

On 14th December 2016, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit, announced a National Dialogue Initiative with ten points on top of which was ending all forms of violence in the country.