Building on prior efforts, Kenya continues to mediate South Sudan’s peace process in March, leveraging its stronger legal and institutional mediation framework.
This follows a May 2024 launch of high-level talks, with Kenya’s executive-led approach under scrutiny for its legal implications. The process tests regional enforcement of peace accords, potentially setting precedents for interstate legal cooperation within the East African Community (EAC).
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Kenya’s mediation in South Sudan’s peace process, a critical effort to stabilize its conflict-ridden neighbour, has been ongoing into March 2025, with significant developments rooted in earlier initiatives.
The process gained momentum with the launch of high-level talks on 9th May 2024, under the Tumaini Initiative, spearheaded by Kenya. As of mid-March, Kenya continues to leverage its stronger legal and institutional framework to facilitate dialogue between South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar, aiming to enforce the faltering 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
This mediation role has placed Kenya at the forefront of regional peacemaking, but it is not without scrutiny. By March 2025, the executive-led approach, driven by Kenya’s presidency rather than a broader judicial or parliamentary mechanism, has sparked debate over its legal implications.
Critics question whether Kenya’s framework can ensure binding commitments, especially given South Sudan’s history of broken accords, such as the partial implementation of the R-ARCSS by the February 2020 deadlines.
The process tests the enforceability of peace agreements under international and regional law, with Kenya’s efforts potentially shaping how the East African Community (EAC) handles interstate conflicts moving forward.
Looking ahead, Kenya’s mediation could set a precedent for legal cooperation within the EAC, a bloc Kenya joined in 1967 and which South Sudan entered in 2016. As of mid-March, 2025, the talks remain a work in progress, with no final resolution announced, but the stakes are high.
Success could bolster Kenya’s reputation as a diplomatic and legal anchor in East Africa, while failure might expose limits in regional mechanisms to enforce peace, leaving South Sudan’s fragile stability and Kenya’s mediation legacy hanging in the balance.
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