The Community of Sant'Egidio welcomed the resumption of political dialogue in South Sudan, which had been interrupted by President Salva Kiir following an attack in which two nuns of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart, Sister Mary and Sister Regina, were killed in an unprecedented attack against religious in the history of South Sudan, whose responsibility has not yet been ascertained.
The Community immediately followed up on the resumption of dialogue with a workshop that was held from 14 to 17 December in Nairobi, Kenya, with military representatives of the South Sudanese government and of the opposition groups Real SPLM and SSUF / A. This workshop, conducted in collaboration with the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, follows the political agreement already signed by the parties in July 2021 in Rome.
In Nairobi, it was agreed that opposition groups will be fully included in all structures of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism by the end of March 2022. The inclusion of these groups is a necessary step to ensure full compliance with the Agreement on the cessation of hostilities and is essential to bring peace to the country.
Sant'Egidio thanks the international community and in particular the government of Kenya for its hospitality and support for the Sant'Egidio initiative, and renews its commitment to an inclusive and lasting resolution of the South Sudanese conflict.
