On 9 May, the inaugural event of the new round of negotiations for South Sudan entitled Tumaini, ‘hope’ in Swahili, was held in Nairobi.
Numerous heads of state and government were present, including the President of the Republic of Kenya, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, the Chairman of the African Union Commission, and several representatives of the international community. Representatives of South Sudanese rebel groups were also present.
Sant'Egidio, co-mediator of the process, opened the ceremony with a speech by the Secretary General Paolo Impagliazzo. He pointed out that ‘Peace is always possible: it was in Mozambique and in many other countries. We must build it starting from the ancient wisdom of the Church: ‘discover what unites us and set aside whatever can divide us’. This is not a naive concept yet is the spirit to overcome divisions and build a future of peace for future generations.’
There were many expressions of appreciation for the Community's commitment. The Kenyan president himself, William Ruto, expressed his thanks to Sant'Egidio to have kept hope for peace alive in these difficult years.
Sant'Egidio renews its commitment together with the Kenyan government to achieve a lasting and just peace for South Sudan.
