![Kenya's President-elect William Ruto speaks after the Supreme Court upheld his win in Nairobi, Kenya September 5, 2022. [Photo by REUTERS]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/6YWINGPVCBJ6LCCI4MJOOGWZ5I.jpg?resize=960%2C640&quality=89&ssl=1)
Presidential Press Secretary Lily Martin Manyiel disclosed this information while speaking to reporters in Juba on Tuesday.
“The purpose of the visit, the working visit for President Ruto, is to inform, compare notes, touch base, and update His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit on the peace talk. And this visit will be important too, because it will put to rest impressions out there,” she said.
Ayuel explained that there have been misleading impressions suggesting that “His Excellency the President has aborted, abandoned, and is no more interested in the Tumaini Initiative.”
“Let me just take you back a bit. His Excellency the President has said on record that on his watch, South Sudan will not go back to war again. And I repeat, he said on his watch South Sudan will not go back to war again.”
She further emphasized that President Kiir believes achieving lasting peace requires that all South Sudanese are included and brought on board.
“So, it’s ridiculous, it is preposterous, and it’s very uncalled for when we say that His Excellency is no longer interested in the Tumaini Initiative, which is totally false. His Excellency the President wants a lasting peace in South Sudan,” Ayuel stated.
She added that President Kiir’s ultimate goal is “gun silence forever in South Sudan.”
“The Tumaini Initiative has been blessed, and President Ruto is taking over this in order for all the warring parties to come to South Sudan. Let’s have a chat, the South Sudanese. That’s why the initiative was in Kenya led by President Ruto,” she said.
“So, President Ruto will come and update His Excellency on the initiative and how far it’s going, and then they will take it from there. So, this is why I was calling the press,” she added.
Ayuel noted that the Tumaini Initiative has generated significant interest among South Sudanese citizens, who are anxious to learn about its progress.
In December 2023, President Salva Kiir requested Kenya’s President William Ruto to take over the mediation role from the Catholic community of Sant’Egidio in Rome, expressing that the talks had been protracted without resolution.
Since then, a series of pre-talk consultations have been underway in Nairobi, aiming to bring the government and some holdout groups to the negotiation table.
In March, President Ruto appointed General Lazaro Sumbeiywo as the chief mediator to facilitate negotiations between the government and holdout groups.
