Jakaya Kikwete Engages South Sudan Leaders (Courtesy)
Juba, April 8, 2026
Savanna Radio News
Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, serving as the High-Level Envoy to the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, held a high-profile consultative meeting in Juba today with South Sudanese leaders and senior government officials to assess progress on the country’s peace implementation and plans for national elections.
The meeting opened with introductions led by Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, who provided a detailed briefing on South Sudan’s political journey since independence in 2011—tracing the conflicts of 2013 and 2016, the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict (R-ARCSS) in 2018, and subsequent extensions of the peace roadmap. Dr. Martin emphasized ongoing discussions within the expanded presidency aimed at delinking certain provisions of the agreement to allow elections to proceed later this year.
Mr. Kikwete introduced his delegation and stated that his current mission was exploratory, noting that he came to “listen to all parties and understand their perspectives” before making recommendations.
Justice Minister Michael Makuei Lueth addressed the procedural challenges with the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), explaining that despite submitting the presidency’s decision for endorsement on January 15, the body has not convened the required plenary session. He criticized what he described as a delay obstructing the government’s resolve to hold elections by December and hinted at possible parliamentary action should the RJMEC fail to act soon.
Deng Alor Kuol, Stephen Par Kuol, Albino Atak Akoon, and Denay Jok Chagor reiterated the government’s commitment to elections but called for regional and international support to address internal bottlenecks. Minister Denay urged the envoy to engage all parties separately to fully grasp the challenges and requested that the African Union and international partners back the forthcoming inter-party dialogue that aims to chart a consensual path toward credible elections.
In closing, Mr. Kikwete thanked participants for their frank contributions and assured that he would make additional visits and hold more meetings with political actors, institutions, and stakeholders to deepen his understanding and gather viable ideas for resolving contentious issues within the peace process.
The meeting adjourned earlier than planned due to time constraints, as the envoy proceeded to his next engagement with leaders of the SPLM party.
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