President Uhuru Kenyatta held talks with four South Sudanese political leaders who were detained by President Salva Kiir following a deadly fallout with former Vice President Dr. Riek Machar which has led to deaths of thousands and displacement of millions.
President Uhuru is currently the Chair of East Africa Community. The South Sudan conflict is being resolved under IGAD. While meeting the South Sudanese leaders, Uhuru revealed President Kiir has released political detainees to his custody.
Today morning I held talks with four former South Sudan political detainees who paid me a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi. General Okiech Pag’an Amum, Ambassador Ezekiel Gatkuoth Lol, General Ajak Oyay Deng, and General Dr. Atem were released and handed over to me last week. I urged them to participate fully in regional initiatives to stop the ongoing fighting and ensure cessation of hostilities for sustainable peace in their country. I appreciate the bold step by President Salva Kiir in releasing all political detainees so as to restore peace in South Sudan. With no political detainees remaining in South Sudan, the country and the region can now single-mindedly and without distraction focus on the cessation of hostilities. We need to move quickly to secure the gains so far made by the Government of South Sudan and IGAD and move to the next phase of a face to face dialogue between President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar.
Posted the President on his Facebook page.