Sumbeiywo takes over as chief mediator in South Sudan conflict

Former Army Commander Lazarus Sumbeiywo has assumed office as the chief mediator in the conflict in South Sudan.

Sumbeiywo's deputy and veteran diplomat Mohamed Ali Guyo also took over office on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei handed over the leadership to Sumbeiywo after months of steering the process.

The PS said he had briefed them on the major developments since the process commenced in January and the monumental task that lies ahead.

"Undoubtedly, General Sumbeiywo and Ambassador Guyo bring immense experience to bear on the task," Korir posted on his X account.

Sing'oei said Sumbeiywo will be supported by an "able secretariat" that has been installed in the State Department for Foreign Affairs.

Last week, President William Ruto named Sumbeiywo the chief mediator between hold-out groups and the government in Juba.

President Ruto said the two had been assigned at the request of President Salva Kiir of South Sudan.

They are supposed to "facilitate talks in Nairobi with opposition groups and other sections of society in that country."

These include "holdout opposition groups organised under the rubric of South Sudan Opposition Alliance, religious groups and civil society."

Ruto himself said he was turning to Sumbeiywo because he understands the problem.

"Based on your wealth of experience and invaluable contribution in negotiating and the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, I appoint you as the Chief Mediator from April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025," Ruto said in a dispatch from State House.

Sumbeiywo was Kenya’s Special Envoy on Sudan between 1997 and 1998 before President Daniel Moi later assigned him the role of mediating between the government in Khartoum, under Omar al-Bashir, and the late John Garang's Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The mediation led to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 which gave Southern Sudan autonomy and later led to a referendum for independence in 2011, which created South Sudan.

In an earlier interview, Sumbeiywo spoke of how he had to travel to both sides to gain acceptance before launching a mediation programme.

“I went to the parties first of all. The SPLM and President al-Bashir agreed to accept me as a mediator. I went to the US, the UK and Italy, who all supported me,” he said back then.