South Sudan’s newly formed rebel group welcomes proposed Kenyan mediation

JUBA – South Sudan’s newly established rebel movement, the Patriot Resistance Movement (PRM), has welcomed the government’s initiative calling for Kenyan President William Ruto to mediate between the government and non-signatories to the revitalized peace agreement.

In a statement released to Sudan Post yesterday, PRM leader Lt. Gen. Laraka Machar Turoal applauded the “courageous decision” of President Salva Kiir Mayardit in seeking Kenyan President William Ruto’s assistance in ending the long-running conflict.

The statement also highlighted the role Kenya played in helping South Sudan achieve independence through the 2011 referendum.

The PRM emphasized its commitment to dialogue and its desire for a lasting peace that treats all South Sudanese equally and addresses issues like education, healthcare, infrastructure, and security.

While acknowledging the previous Rome talks with a select group of non-signatories, the PRM stressed the need for a more inclusive process that encompasses all armed and unarmed opposition groups.

“Peace exists because of sacrifices and commitment of the people and leaders in charge of the country,” the statement dated December 30, 2023, reads in part.

“We in the Patriot Resistance Movement (PRM) are open to dialogue, to advance the aspirations of the people of South Sudan by creating a country that treats them equally, offers them services such as education for all, improves health services, improves infrastructure development, especially roads and bridges, improves security, and helps build a country that meets the expectations of many South Sudanese people and counters emerging regional or global challenges,” the statement added.

The statement called on Kiir, Ruto, and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to continue with the initiative and further urged holdout opposition leaders to participate actively in the upcoming talks and contribute their perspectives to finding a permanent solution to the conflict.

“We call upon H.E. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, H.E. William Samoei Ruto, and H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and other heads of East African States to make an inclusive engagement in Kenya to successfully resolve this issue,” the statement said.

“On the part of the opposition, we call upon the leaders of various opposition parties, both armed and unarmed, to express their position on the upcoming engagement in Kenya, particularly to have their say in the search for a permanent solution to the problem of South Sudan,” it added.

The statement further called for the release of its members currently detained in Juba as a gesture of goodwill.

The latest statement from the group comes a week after presidential affairs minister Bangasi Joseph Bakasoro said President Kiir has asked his Kenyan counterpart Ruto to take charge of the mediation efforts after Rome-based talks failed to yield progress for years.

Kenya-based opposition leader Paul Malong had also welcomed the government initiative and expressed its readiness to participate in the talks in good faith to bring their differences to a peaceful end.