by SHARON MWENDE
Tuesday January 3, 2023
President William Ruto speaking in Mombasa on December 31, 2022. Image: PCS
President William Ruto has announced that the IGAD will hold a Summit before the end of January, with a focus on South Sudan.
Ruto on Monday said he had made the commitment following a call from President Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan of Sudan.
He said they discussed relations between Kenya and Sudan and deliberated about the security situation in the Eastern Africa region.
Al-Burhan is the chairperson of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
It is made up of seven member states including Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
"We committed to holding a special IGAD Summit focusing on South Sudan before the end of this month to assess the status of implementation of the “Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan” and address any emerging issues," Ruto said.
The R-ARCSS was signed in September 2018 by South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and his First Vice President Riek Machar in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Then, leaders called upon all the signatories to commit to working in good faith to achieve the full implementation of the R-ARCSS.
The R-ARCSS, which was described as a foundation for building lasting peace and stability in South Sudan, was aimed at reviving the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) signed in 2015.
The signing of the RARCSS was prompted by the civil war which was prompted by a confrontation in Juba on July 2016.In his statement, Ruto acknowledged Salva Kiir's special message recognising Kenya’s support in the peace-seeking solution.
"We also appreciate President Salva Kiir’s special message recognising Kenya’s support in seeking solutions to emerging challenges in South Sudan, searching for durable peace and delivering humanitarian assistance to the affected communities," he said.