The South Sudanese government and rebel opposition factions signed a “commitment declaration” for peace during high-level mediation negotiations in Kenya.
The accord is a significant step toward resolving South Sudan’s long-running conflict, which has decimated the economy.
Diplomats and civil society groups attended the signing event.
The rebel opposition groups were not part of the 2018 agreement that ended South Sudan’s five-year civil war that left 400,000 people dead and millions displaced.
Kenya’s foreign office said the agreement was a “first milestone” in the ongoing talks in which warring sides pledged their commitment to end the violence and hostilities.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir congratulated his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, for hosting the high-level mediation talks, which began a week earlier.
Former Kenyan army commander Lazarus Sumbeiywo is leading the negotiations, which are named Tumaini (Swahili meaning optimism and initiative).
South Sudan is scheduled to hold elections in December, but the country remains politically unstable, in part because the 2018 peace agreement has yet to be completely implemented, and conflict and bloodshed continue in many sections of the country due to ethnic and political divisions.
