President Kenyatta welcomes South Sudan ceasefire

President Uhuru Kenyatta Friday welcomed Thursday’ agreements to end fighting in South Sudan but warned that the next step in the search for peace would be more difficult.

In a statement, Mr Kenyatta said the region would continue to support such efforts but the ultimate solution would depend on how South Sudan leaders “hold themselves accountable” to their people.

“The cessation of hostilities agreement is only one step. More difficult steps will follow in the coming days and months as the monitoring and verification of compliance with the agreement kicks in,” the President said in a statement from State House.

“We look forward to parties to the conflict doing all in their power to ensure safety of civilians and opening up of humanitarian corridors to allow emergency relief supplies to be delivered.”

Mr Kenyatta was responding to Thursday’s announcement from Addis Ababa that the parties to the conflict had agreed to stop fighting within the next 24 hours. (READ: South Sudan government, rebels sign ceasefire)

Representatives of the South Sudanese government under Salva Kiir and the rebels under former Vice President Riek Machar, on Thursday signed two agreements that would stop hostilities since fighting broke out on December 15 in Juba. (SEE: Heavy gunfire overnight in South Sudan capital)

The negotiations had lasted more than two weeks, midwifed by Igad envoys; Kenya’s Lt Gen (rtd) Lazarus Sumbeiywo, Ethiopia’s Seyoum Mesfin and Sudan’s Mohamed El Dabi.

But two issues were still sticking out and which could potentially undermine the success of the agreements. Rebels had demanded that Ugandan troops which have been fighting alongside South Sudan be removed and that political detainees be released.

Friday evening, Gen Sumbeiywo told journalists in Nairobi that obedience to the agreements by both sides would “automatically” make the Ugandan troops irrelevant.

“I spoke to Machar yesterday (Thursday) and we agreed it does not matter whether the troops of Uganda move out or do not move out. If they are immobilised by the cessation of hostilities, there is no need for him to worry about it,” he said at a press conference in Nairobi.

“The removal of Ugandan troops will automatically happen when the cessation of hostilities happens because they will freeze their forces where they are, they will become immobile and therefore become ineffective. In the agreement, it is said progressively withdraw their forces including invited forces that means Uganda,” said Gen Sumbeiywo.

But the mediator said the government of South Sudan would retain the lead role in determining the fate of the detainees even as the international community urges for their release.

“Whether they are put through a legal process or whether they are released without the same process, lies with the South Sudan government. They said they have already charged some of them and they are supposed to appear in court very soon,” he added.

He revealed that the detainees are being charged individually. (READ: UN tells Kiir to release detainees)